Forgotten Remnant
by Sahqoyoltaasah
Summary: The battle for Beacon has begun. As the academy is swarmed by the creatures of Grimm, new warriors arrive to the aid of Vale. But how will the world of Remnant react to the appearance of a Soul Reaper, Exorcist, Third-Rate Magus, and the Flame Haze with burning eyes. Multi-Crossover: RWBY, Fate/Stay Night, Bleach, Blue Exorcist, Shakugan no Shana
1. Resistance: Part I

**Disclaimer: I own none of the properties displayed in this story. Each individual character belongs to their respective owners.**

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"This is not a tragedy. This was not an accident." An alluring voice calls out to the people of Vale. "This is what happens when you hand over your trust. Your safety. Your children. To men who claim to be our guardians. But are, in reality… nothing more than men."

Cinder Fall stood at an unknown location. Donning a shoulderless, dark-red, mini dress embroidered with golden designs running up along the arm and connecting at the back. Her wavy, pitch-black hair partially leaning off to her left side. She continues to speak into her scroll and states to all that hear her warning that their precious moment of peace was gone and that none would come to their rescue. The battle for Beacon has begun.

Civilians stand in shock and perplexity as the audio feed suddenly cut off. Static buzzes for a brief moment, but continues to ring in the ears of the civilians. A moment of silence passes, and then another. Everyone begins to look around at each other in search of an answer. Murmuring fills the audience until the rhythmic beat of flapping wings slowly begins to overtake the stadium. It begins to grow louder. Louder. And louder. Everyone in the crowd looks up at the opened ceiling in horror as they search for the source.

With little warning, a dark mass slams against the energy-field that is integrated into the outer arena. A giant raven-like creature with blackened feathers is seen. Bones protruding from the creature created a headpiece that allowed four yellow eyes to be seen. Shock waves ripple throughout the barrier as a Nevermore lands on top of the arena and begins to attack the barrier in an attempts of destroying it. The Grimm lets out a deathly roar from its frustration of being mere seconds away from its prey.

At this point the crowed begins to disperse in a panic. Terrified screams fill the stadium as the Nevermore endlessly tries to break the barrier. People rush towards the exit. Many are being pushed aside in an attempt to flee. A frenzy ensues as the people give in to desperation.

Those that remain were the courageous Huntsmen and Huntresses in-training. Students gathered from the four Kingdoms; Vale, Mistral, Vacuo, and Mantle, in order to participate in a tournament of unity. They alone stand in opposition to the creatures of Grimm. Without their strength there would be nothing to stop the eradication of man.

 _ **Pyrrha Nikos**_

'This can't be happening. I couldn't have done this...' I look over in disarray at the dismembered corpse of my opponent; Penny. I couldn't have known the implications of this match until it was too late. Everything around me is blocked out; sound is muffled, touch is numbed, and vision is blurred except for one thing.

Penny; she was a synthetic. She was sent to the tournament but for what purpose? Her quirky attitude made her out to be as a giving caretaker, hiding her true identity. Now she lays scattered across the arena, the light in her eyes blinking out of existence. I took away her life.

I was stuck in such a state of shock, that I failed to realize my surroundings. The Nevermore continued to hack away at the barrier. It became evident that we'll soon have to face the creature. Among those of us that remained, no one was prepared. Everyone remained hesitant, not knowing how to react.

The stadium was completely empty, aside from the students. They are deeply instilled with fear, but nonetheless they stand valiantly and at the ready. All except for one; The Invincible Girl. Guilt enveloped me, creating an inescapable mist.

However, before anyone can grasp the severity of the situation, the Nevermore rose from the barrier and flew into the sky before falling back with immense speed. The barrier has been broken. I stare into the Grimm's eyes. Brilliant emerald gazing into treacherous amber. As its wings begin to unfurl the creature rushes towards the center of the arena.

Everyone within the immediate vicinity is sent hurtling away from point of impact. Debris ripped from the ground of the arena begins to fall violently back down.

At that moment I regain my senses, I realize that someone steps in between me and the Nevermore. Ruby Rose stood guard, ready to protect me from the dreaded Grimm. The girl in the red hood grabs a blade from the fallen synthetic, with a black and green color scheme, the blade has two grooves along its curved cutting edge. She stood ready to fend of the Grimm alone if needed.

"Ruby?" I ask confused.

"Leave her alone!" Ruby yells in defiance against the Nevermore.

 _ **Ruby Rose**_

I didn't know what was happening, but it didn't matter. Grimm have begun invading Vale and we're the only ones that can stop them. I will not lose another friend!

The moment the Nevermore broke through the barrier I started to run towards Pyrrha. She wasn't moving. I reached out to her in an attempt to save her from being crushed. Time began to slow down as the Grimm inched closer towards the arena. Before I knew it it had crashed onto the floor and I was sent flying backwards. Without losing a moment I was right back on my feet and grabbed the nearest thing I could find; Penny's sword and stood between the creature and Pyrrha.

The Nevermore let out a hollowing screech as it began its attack. But, it didn't have much of a chance to continue before torrents of flames lit up the stadium. The night sky was replaced with fire that streamed above the open ceiling. Everyone including I looked up and saw bright orange flames. I was forced to close my eyes, from the immense light that was strong enough to temporarily blind me.

I began to open my eyes and saw a funnel of flames begin to consume the Grimm. Its shadowy feathers burn away from the intensity of the fire. In the span of a couple of seconds the entire Grimm had dissolved, leaving behind its bony mask.

At the base of the arena stood a young girl, with long fiery crimson hair, she wore a cloak as dark as night. The girl lands with incredible grace as her blade pierces the Nevermore's mask. In an instant it dissolves into nothing, revealing her weapon. It was a simple design but magnificent either ways. Extraordinary craftsmanship; the blade shined a brilliant silver, almost as bright as the sun. If it wasn't for the current invasion I would be hovering over the sword in awe.

"Who are you?" I ask the girl.

She looks back at me and I realize the intensity in her eyes, those burning red eyes. A moment of silence passes until she looks up towards the open ceiling and flames erupt from her back. The flames transform into a set of beautiful wings, that extended far off to either side. Before I could ask her anything else she flew into the sky, unleashing powerful blasts of fire at the oncoming Grimm. The sky would not remain dark for more than a moment. Embers slowly begin to fall.

That was amazing! But I can't focus on that right now, there are other things I have to worry about.

"Who was that?" asks Jaune in shock.

Everyone stays silent. I don't know how to respond. I'm just as confused as everyone else. There's never been a Huntsman or Huntress that's had that kind of firepower. Literally. My train of thought is broken when I hear someone speed towards us.

"Come now children this is no time to dawdle." Doctor Oobleck appears suddenly out of nowhere with Professor Port lagging behind. "Our mysterious savior is currently holding back the Grimm invasion from this end, however I do not believe that this is the case everywhere else."

"What do you mean? What's happening?" I ask.

"Our defenses have been tampered with, and large numbers of Grimm packs have been sighted making their way into the city. It is imperative that you make your way out of this vicinity immediately." Without taking a single pause he continues, "We will be providing cover for our friend in the sky here and lure any stray packs here to be contained."

"But shouldn't we stay and help?"

"This moment will be cemented in Remnant's history. I would rather have you alive to tell the tale."

A small smile crosses my face and I look at Doctor Oobleck and nod in understanding. "Come on guys let's go!" I turn around to everyone else and we begin to make our way outside of the arena. But, before I enter the tunnel to leave, the sky exploded in blue flames. I look up and flashes of crimson and blue flames light up the night sky. It's beautiful to look at but I continue on making my way out of the stadium.

 _ **Roman Torchwick**_

"Oh, ho ho." I hold the scroll up in glee. "Now, this one, this one's gonna be fun." By installing a virus into the airship's mainframe I'll have control over all of the Atlesian firepower. Oh, how fun! I dare say this is turning out to be my biggest job yet.

"Neo, come look at all the carnage with me!" A petite, mute girl with alternating pink and brown hair stands beside me with a smile of delight.

I could see it now, all of Vale's defenses turning against the very people they were made to create. People running in terror of both machine and Grimm was enjoyable. Oh, if only I could hear their screams. I'll have to make due without for now. I turn back and head to the control frame in an attempt to find any other 'fun' toys I could play with. Now I wonder what this does…

An explosion rocks the airship and sends me careening towards the left of the ship. I struggle push myself back up to a standing position.

"What was that?" I ask clearly annoyed. I look over to Neo who seems to have been caught off guard as well. She rubs the backside of her head before returning to normal. "Looks like there's more to this ship than I thought-"

Blue light began to illuminate the control room. Straight ahead of us was what looked to be a Griffon cloaked in blue flames. It didn't stop, it kept flying towards us despite being on fire. But, what was unbelievable was that someone was riding on top of it! And a kid no less!

"Well then, let's see how well you deal with this!" I input the command to fire the airship's main artillery. The air is pierced with a fine spread of bullets as they find their way to the kid. Round after round they all miss as he continues to evade. Circling around the ammunition with incredible speed and agility.

"Just stay STILL already!"

Before I knew it the kid had flown right next to the windows and out of view. There were too many blind spots to take care of, especially with a target as small as the kid. I let out a sigh of frustration before taking a moment to think.

"Neo come with me. We're going to deal with this pest before he becomes a problem." I grab my cane and make my way outside of the airship.

Once outside I bask at the swarms of Grimm invading the city, most had begun to ignore us when they realized the amount of countless victims waiting for them down below. This moment is short lived as I see the blur of blue flames circling high above us. I bring out Melodic Cudgel and take aim at the Griffon. Through the scope I could clearly see where the kid was heading towards. As he's about circle back I fire the shot and see it go clear through the Grimm. The kid with blue flames falls quickly, flailing wildly to his demise. With my job done I turn around with a sense of satisfaction and make my way back inside. That was until the sky behind me lit up with fire.

Turning around, I see the kid on top of another Grimm, but this time it was a Nevermore! Just who on Remnant was he?! Whatever! He's a big enough target to take out with the airship.

"Hey!" yells the kid. "So, I'm guessing you're behind this whole attack."

With a sharpened blade in one hand with the sheathe in the other, he points at me directly in an attempt to intimidate me. Honestly though, along with the scowl, the red pupils would have been enough. "Go home boy, can't you see you can't stop this. Just take your losses and leave." I aim my cane once again.

"Not a chance!" The boy raises his sword and it begins to rapidly shine brighter. So fast that I didn't have a chance to send off another shot before I was forced to cover my eyes. I fell down to my knees as it became hard to stand. When the intensity of the light wore off I began to look around and saw the entire airship being pushed down by flames. It took a moment for me to realize that I was in the middle of the barrage of blue fire that I looked down and saw that I wasn't burning. But, the ship was going to crash down no matter what.

"Neo! It's time to go!" My partner in crime understands the situation and she rushes over to me. The moment she reaches me, I grab onto her so that she can open her umbrella. Even though we were being pushed down, the fire provided enough force for us make a quick escape once we reached the edge. A very… unconventional means of escape, but it works either way. Once we're far enough I look back to see the airship crash into the Emerald Forest. It was intact more or less, but it wouldn't be leaving the ground for a while. I let out a snarl as I think back to the boy. This is the last time that kid gets the upper hand on me.

 _ **Jaune Arc**_

"Pyrrha, what is this place?" I look over to her for answers. Today's gone from bad to worse and I have a feeling it isn't over yet.

"It's… a type of vault." She keeps her eyes to the floor, as if she's ashamed for knowing this. This underground 'vault' was definitely made to hold out for years, the giant columns reached past what little light there was. I continue to run farther down the corridor with both Pyrrha, and Professor Ozpin. All I know is that there's no time. The Grimm keep making their way into the city, the Atlesian Knights and Paladins have gone rogue, and to top it all off an enormous dragon has started making its way here.

As we reach the end of the corridor I see strange equipment scattered around the room. What really caught my eye were the two _pods_ , one of which contained somebody.

"Who is that?" I ask alarmed.

Pyrrha turns around to me and says, "Don't worry about it right now, Jaune. This… is just something I have to do."

I see the look of worry on her face. She's known about this, this can't possibly be the first time she's been down there. Before I get a chance to ask what's happening, Ozpin cuts me off.

"Pyrrha, quickly into the pod!" Ozpin begins to type in commands into a console. "Mr. Arc, if you would like to help, you can stand guard."

I know that I have little choice in the matter. All I can do is trust what Pyrrha is planning is for the best. So, I shut up and begin to keep watch. With sword and shield in hand, I prepare for the worst to come through the elevator doors. I look around for any sign of change, until my mind begins to wander. Why was this happening? What were the people behind this hoping to gain? Suddenly, an explosion is heard in the distance coming from the elevator shaft. I take a sudden step back and begin to focus again.

Pyrrha suddenly screams in pain. I look back and begin to worry. She was being enveloped in an orange aura. Something was going wrong. Without being able to do anything I scramble to think of something to do.

"What's happening?!"

He just looks at the panel and then back to Pyrrha with a stern face. "Just a little more Miss Nikos. It's almost done." He says underneath his breath.

The sound of glass breaking fills my ears, I look for the source and see that the other pod has been broken through with an arrow. The girl inside was shot with an arrow. What little life remained in here eyes quickly faded. Pyrrha breaks through her pod and sends the door hurtling forward. Behind me, an orange light begins to radiate from the woman that shot the arrow. Without wasting a second I rush in after her only to be blasted back by a wave of heat.

"Miss Nikos, take Jaune and get out of here," Ozpin orders.

"But, I can help. I can fight," Pyrrha counters.

"You'll only get in the way."

Pyrrha, with a look of defeat, helps me up from where I had been blasted and we begin to make our way out of the 'vault.' Leaving behind both Ozpin and the woman. We make our way out of Beacon. Before we make it too far I stop to catch my breath.

"Pyrrha… what was that?" I ask while taking in a deep breath of air. On cue, several explosion from the elevator were heard, leading towards the upper floors. She doesn't answer me, instead she keeps her eyes locked on the elevator. I can tell what she's thinking of doing. "No! You can't go back, you saw how powerful she is. I won't let you..." I'm cut off as Pyrrha, grabs my face and brings me in for a kiss. I'm speechless, I didn't know she thought about me like this. My eyes close, and I instinctively embrace her until she releases me.

I look into her emerald eyes and she tells me, "I'm sorry."

Pyrrha pushes me backwards into one of the weapon lockers and locks me inside. It takes me a moment to realize why until she starts inputting coordinates. "Hey! W-Wait! Stop! Stop! Please, Pyrrha you can't do this!" I gaze at her one final time through the metal slits and before I know it, I'm hurtling through the sky. I yell out for her, hoping that she won't go through with it until I achieve a rough landing.

I quickly open the locker and try to contact someone, _anyone_ that could stop Pyrrha. Looking through my scroll I call the first person I see; Weiss.

"Weiss?! Are you there?" I ask in desperation

A moment passes until the connection is stable. "Jaune? Where are you? Are you okay?"

"That doesn't matter right now. You have to stop her!"

"Stop who? You're not making any sense.

"Pyrrha. She's going to the top of the tower to stop that woman. Please you have to get to her before anything happens."

"Don't worry, we will. What about you are you-"

The connection is broken when the scroll is shot out of my hand. I turn around in a panic to look at my assaulters; Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai.

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 **A/N: Well that's it for the first chapter guys. A multi-crossover probably isn't the best idea, but hey, why the heck not. Anyways, let me know what you guys think. I should mention that this story isn't going to be dark (even though this chapter contradicts that), I want it to be 'lighthearted.' I may not succeed in this, but I want to say I at least tried. Something I also need to mention. Arkos shippers this story is not for you. Just as Achilles was struck with an arrow in the heel, Joan of Arc was captured by the enemy and betrayed by her king. If you decide to stay along for the ride then all the more power to you. I think that's about it. Have a nice day everyone.**


	2. Resistance: Part II

**Disclaimer: I own none of the properties displayed in this story. Each individual character belongs to their respective owners.**

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"This whole time, right beneath our feet." Cinder Fall, the new Fall Maiden, faces against Ozpin, the Headmaster of Beacon. "She was right about you… Such arrogance."

Ozpin takes in his surroundings. He knows that only one of them can leave the vault alive. The power of the Maidens can not leave this place. With limited space neither of them could have the chance to run away. His only chance is to stall for time and wait for either Glynda or Qrow to arrive.

"I see your _Queen_ hasn't changed a bit." Ozpin slowly paces towards his right. "Sending her lackeys to do what she couldn't."

Cinder smirks at his comment, "So, we're lackeys now? I could say the same about you and your students. Just think about it, right now, your precious Huntsmen-in-training are off giving their lives for a misdirected cause."

He sneers at her. " _My_ students are off fighting in what they believe in. It's nonsense trying to compare yourself with them."

"But, what they believe in _isn't_ what you're training them for. Honestly Ozpin, you don't give me enough credit. I don't need Salem to tell me what it is you're actually after. Your Huntsmen and Huntress' _think_ they're fighting for humanities sake, but, in reality they're fighting to sate your own motives."

"Every Queen needs a Pawn. Do you believe that you're on even footing with her? Are you sure that you're not just being sent out to test the waters? Will she come for you if you fail here or leave you to rot?"

"I won't fall here. Not while I have the power of the Fall Maiden." Cinder unleashes a portion of her power, which is displayed by a golden aura that circles around her. "How does it feel? To have the worst possible outcome to be happening right before your eyes."

"I'm sure the night can end much worse. But, that is not due to the power of the Maidens. I would argue that you're still the same vile person you were before now, if anything the Fall Maiden's power has most likely just made you arrogant."

Cinder becomes annoyed at Ozpin's remark. She tightens her hand into a fist, causing her knuckles to whiten. Her eyes are covered with a fine veil of fire as her anger rose.

The room turns silent. Light reflects off of the marble columns that hold up the underground vault. Not a single living soul is present to bare witness to the upcoming battle. No songs will be sung of the bravery taken place here. Of the bravery against evil. It will remain a secret to all, but the victor. In a single instant, a discussion between enemies in a never ending war ceases, silence turns into chaos.

 _ **Blake Belladonna**_

This entire day is a disaster. It seems that all of Vale is under attack, no matter where you turn there's always another Grimm just waiting. The air is still, not a single gust blows through the academy. This emphasizes the blood curdling roars of the Grimm and the shots being fired off by the Atlesian Army.

I begin to chase after an Alpha Beowolf that found its way into Beacon. It was chasing something, and in its haste it lead me to the dining hall. I encountered an all too unwelcoming figure. In front of me stood a man who wore all black from top to bottom, from his trench coat to his boots. Three things distinguished him from anyone else, and these three things told me exactly who he was. First, was his spiked, bright red hair that intertwined with swathes of brown. Second, were the two dark colored horns that protruded from either side of his head, a sign of a faunus. Lastly, was the worn down Grimm mask that covered his eyes.

"Adam?" I look in horror at my former partner. "Please… don't tell me the White Fang are behind this!"

There's no response. Only the crackling of fire, that burns away at the academy, penetrates my ears. The soot that falls down on to the dining hall fills my burning lungs. My breathing begins to stagger, as the blistering heat gradually threatens to eat away at my skin.

But, worst of all is the person standing before me. I had hoped that this day wouldn't come so soon. I truly did. Unfortunately, I, like him, knew it was inevitable. Without a second thought, I hesitantly approach him. One way or another, this is where only one of us will get our way.

"Why are you doing this, Adam?" I pull out Gambol Shroud to prepare for any sign of retaliation. My resolve strengthens.

"Can't you see, my love?" Adam motions to our surroundings as he begins to make his way towards me. "This is our day of triumph. The day we declare that we won't stand by and wait for others to walk all over us. Finally, we'll be able to get back at all those that wronged us."

"Vengeance? Is that what this is all about? Adam, you can't just blame all of humanity for what's happened!"

"I can't blame them?" He asks disgusted. "They are the problem. Without them in the picture all the oppression in the world will cease to exist. They're the ones that started this cycle of hate. Once they're gone all faunus kind will rejoice."

I shake my head. "This isn't how it has to end, and you know that. We can still coexist together. Neither one of us is better than the other."

Adam is only a mere feet away from me before he raises his arm to swing his blade down at me. I barely have time to react to block the strike before I realize how close the blade is from my face. "That's where your wrong. They are so… much… worse, for treating our kind so cruelly."

I jump backwards into the air and fire off several shots to help distract him. In an instant he shatters every bullet with his blade as soon as they enter his vicinity. As I landed I stood my ground and continued to fire a volley of rounds, only to have him continue to destroy each one. I knew him, and he knew me. Our battle strategies, techniques, abilities, everything! There wasn't any secret as to how we fought and he knew that too. I don't have a chance of finishing this quickly, if I were to rush in and try to then he would quickly overpower me and end it right there. My best chance is to keep my distance and attack from any blind spot.

"Why now? What does the White Fang hope to gain by attacking Vale?"

"The White Fang has everything to gain. With one of its Kingdom's in ruins, Remnant will finally acknowledge the severity of underestimating us."

"Don't you see that this will only make everyone fear us! Faunus outside of the White Fang will still be blamed for what happens today. Can't you see that you're only hurting us?"

"There is only the White Fang, if they refuse to join us then their traitors to their own kind." My clips run out of ammunation and Adam takes full advantage of this and rushes at me; closing the gap between us. "Just like you, my love."

"I'm no traitor to what the White Fang is supposed to be!" Our blades lock together as we both struggle assert control over the battle.

"Then tell me, why do you hide who you are behind that bow!"

I'm taken aback. It takes me a moment to form a response. "I won't be judged by my race, but rather by my own actions."

"How will they accept a liar among their ranks." My grip begins to slip as I'm pushed further back. "You're a wolf in sheep's clothing, once they find out _what_ you are they will all toss you aside."

I can't help but wonder what would happen if he was right. Would everyone denounce me just for being a faunus? Are my actions pointless if I'll just be seen as the villain in the end.

My mind goes blank as a sharp pain flares up on my side. Adam had pulled back his blade, over his head, causing me to fall forwards, and in that interval managed to slip his blade underneath my arm; cutting right through my aura. I fall over limp from the sudden jolt of pain. My back is completely against the tiled stone floor.

"I will take away everything you care about…."

Out of nowhere I hear a familiar voice. "Blake! Blake, where are you? Blake!" I hear my partner Yang in the distance, calling out my name.

He looks over to see where the voice was coming from, "…. starting with her."

My face turns into a look of dread. "No..." I wince as my side begins to flare up in pain.

In order to get Yang's attention he takes his blade and stabs me runs his blade up the length of my leg; cutting into the tissue and muscles. I can't help but let out a scream of pain, which is exactly what he was hoping for. In that instant, Yang finds the both of us, and takes a moment to take in the situation before her eyes turn an enraged red. Her hair lights up in flames as she screams in outrage.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" She launches herself forward with her gauntlets, Ember Celica, giving her a giant boost in momentum as she charges towards Adam, who in turn sheathes his blade and prepares his own attack. I'm left helpless to watch the two, unable to do anything to stop either, until...

A man in a black kimono tattered at the ends, appears out of thin air. He's turned away from me, so I couldn't make out any facial features. All I could see was a set of bright orange, spiked hair, and his weapon; a black colored long-sword with a chain leading off the pommel. His sudden appearance shocks all three of us, making Yang falter in her tracks, and causes Adam to leap backwards. Within the span of a second the mysterious man uses his free hand to grab Adam's face, before he gets too far, and violently throws him across the room. That's when I saw it.

He wore a mask. It resembled that of a Grimm, but there was something off about it. The mask itself was a pristine white with no sign of wear and tear. This was accented by the red streaks that fell off to the side. One yellow eye revealed itself from the opening. What made the mask itself odd was the fact that it only covered the left half of his face, there was nothing preventing from falling off. It almost seemed that it was a part of him.

He holds up his blade close to his person, with the tip pointing at what was left of the ceiling, towards the direction he threw Adam. His opened palm aligns itself with the back-edge of the blade. A dark energy begins to form around the sword. The pitch black energy contained a bright red outline. But, it felt cold and wicked.

"Getsuga..." He spoke quietly, but his voice was warped, as if he wasn't the only one talking. "...Tenshou." The built up energy suddenly released itself in a single destructive wave that tore through the room, sending Adam flying off to who knows where.

The masked man fell to his knees in pain, dropping his blade, as he held on to the top edge of the mask with both hand and struggled to rip it off. A double toned scream tore through the air as the mask began to shatter. The shards that broke off began to dissolve into nothing. His breathing became labored as he was forced to use both arms to prevent himself from falling.

It only takes him a moment to recover before grabbing his blade once more and using it to prop himself up to a kneeling position. He looks over me then to Yang, and asks, "Can you get her somewhere safe?" His voice was normal, nothing like the haunted one that spoke with the mask on. Though, there was something in the way he spoke, he was worried, but about what I didn't have a single idea.

"Y-Yeah." responds Yang in shock, her eyes back to the same lilac I've grown to know. She hurries over to me, and carefully lifts me up from my pathetic situation. She throws my right arm over her shoulder so that we can make it out of the still burning building. Both of us steadily make our way out, but before we do I look behind me to get another look at our mysterious savior. The second my eyes lay on him he's already running after Adam. But, that doesn't last before he vanishes, leaving behind an afterimage

 _ **Jaune Arc**_

I don't have much time to question why both Emerald and Mercury are here of all places, when the former begins to shoot at my direction. The dust rounds land dangerously close to my feet which cause me to stumble backwards. They land closer to my person until I'm forced to start backing up more and more, to the point I'm running away in a full sprint.

I start passing ruined buildings in the city. Each one indistinguishable from the destruction of today. It looks like everyone's evacuated the area. Thankfully, they won't have to get involved. On the other hand, that means there's no one to help me.

Rounds of dust continue to barely miss me as I keep trying to create more distance. I need to get out of their line of fire if I want to get away. It's only a matter of time before they actually manage to hit me. I check my surroundings to find a way out.

An alleyway! That'll work for now. I sneak a look behind me at my pursuers to see how far behind me they were. My eyes widen when I only see Mercury chasing after me. Where'd Emerald go? As I turn back around I'm met with an explosion that blasts me away from the alley. I'm sent flying into the air before I fall back down on my back with a hard thud. My vision blurs for a moment. All I can hear is a loud ringing from the explosion.

Knowing that I can't stay here I groggily lift myself up. My hands scrape against the rough street pavement as I push myself back on my feet. The weight of my body drags me forward. It takes me a moment to get back to a full sprint away from the explosion. My senses gradually return and I realize that there hasn't been a single fired off shot in a while.

I slow down and cautiously look around. I'm left alone in an abandoned intersection at one of the older parts of Vale. The street lights flicker on and off, probably because of a lack of current. I take the moment of silence to catch my breath. As I do, I look up at the night sky and manage to catch a glimpse of Beacon Tower with its luminescent glow. A bombardment of crimson flames envelop the sky above it. No matter what, I have to get back up there before it's too late.

Before I even take a step forward I notice the lights of a store turn back on. I look over to my left and right for any sign of a trap. The streets remain empty. Not a single person or Grimm was in sight. When I'm confident that I'm safe for the moment I slowly make my way towards the store. The windows are shattered from the outside. Most of the building had been emptied and ransacked. But, there was one monitor remaining, hanging precariously from the ceiling. Its only support are the wires that connect to it. Several cracks run through the screen before an image blurs to life.

The video feed showed a nameless intersection, from a building-top view, somewhere in Vale that seemed familiar. I look more closely at the image, and I see a person with their back towards the screen. It doesn't take me long to realize that the person on the video is me! I quickly turn around in a panic and pull out my sword and shield over my shoulder. The cold steel of Crocea Mors fills my grasp as I tightened my grip.

Nobody's near me. There isn't any sign of someone watching me. Suddenly, I'm sent hurtling towards the ground by a dust round in the distance. I try to pull myself back up until what feels like a metal boot kicks me right in the face, making me hit the back of my head against the pavement. Blood starts to fall down the side of my face. I look up to see Mercury standing before me.

"Now isn't this a perfect sight. Where are your friends, kid?"

"Mercury, why are you doing this?" I press my hand against my temple to help stop the pain. "How are you doing this? Didn't Yang break your leg!"

He slicks back his silver hair while looking over to the rooftop of the building across from us. I follow his gaze and find Emerald holding up a scroll that's pointed right at us.

"That's exactly what we made her think, as well as everyone watching. We had to make it look real so that everyone could buy in to our little plan."

"Why frame her? She was a friend. _Our_ friend!"

The air is knocked out of me when Mercury raises his leg and stomps down on my stomach. I desperately gasp for air as he begins to circle around me.

"You are all so gullible." Mercury lets out a laugh as he kneels down beside me. "We made her _think_ I attacked her in order to give the audience something worth watching. Just look around you." He motions to the emptied streets of Vale. "Oh, and before I forget. You should wave at the camera, Jaune, I'm sure you're family would want to know that their son still remembers them..."

Something in my mind snapped. There wasn't anything else that mattered to me right now. Before I knew it, I was already on my feet, and my fist had already made contact with Mercury's face. I can't believe what just happened, my body moved itself without me thinking about it and I managed to land a hit.

Then, it hit me, the reason why Emerald was in the background filming all of this. They were streaming this to most likely all of Vale, if that. But, why? Just to create more chaos? Why does this benefit them?

I don't get much time to think on the issue before Mercury is standing over me once again.

"Looks like you do have some fight in you." He cracks his knuckles. "That's good. It'll make for a better show."

Suddenly my gut is hit by what feels like the force of a truck. I'm forced to lean against Mercury from the impact, only to have myself pushed back down on the ground. My jaw takes the majority of the impact from the fall. I quickly scan the area for any sign of my weapon, only to find the empty streets from before, until my ribs begin to be pummeled by Mercury's kicks. I'm gradually tossed onto the middle of the road. I begin to cough up blood from the repeated assault.

That's when I see my sword, I try desperately to reach it. My hand is smashed against the pavement as Mercury continues to apply more pressure. I let out a pained scream. He presses his boot against the back of my head as I'm pinned down on the street pavement. I can't move. My neck feels like it'll begin to tear if I keep trying to free myself.

"Say goodbye, Jaune." I know where this is going, it wasn't always obvious what his weapon was. But, once you saw how clever he used the dust rounds in his boots, it was frightening. "I'd say you had a good run, but, you really didn't, did you."

I lift my arms to grab onto his leg, and use every inch of strength to relieve some pressure so I can escape. But, no matter how hard I try, he just won't budge. I'm being crushed between a rock and a hard place. I clearly feel the soles of his boot pressing down harder.

I hear a click, quickly followed by a bright flash of blinding light that makes me close eyes. There's a constant ringing in my head. Slowly, I open my eyes and look around to find that Mercury had been launched a good distance away. Smoke rose from his person.. I cautiously lift myself up, to find that all the injuries inflicted on me disappeared without a trace. What… happened? I look down at my palms and realize that this is my chance, if I don't take it now then this will all have been a waste.

Something inside me sparks to life, there isn't anything different about me, except that something feels like it's changed. I quickly lean down to grab my sword, as I do the entirety of the blade begins to form flames, but I pay little attention to it. And begin to quickly run over towards Mercury, who's still sprawled against the floor. It takes little effort to reach him. When I'm over him I raise my blade over my head and swing down.

As I bring the blade down, I'm intercepted by Emerald. She blocks my attack with one of her Kusarigama; a curved blade that sticks out to the side from the handle. Her other free hand is still holding onto the scroll. I began to push her back with all the strength I can. She's visibly struggling against me.

She doesn't say anything to me, instead she let's go of her grip on her weapon. My eyes widen as my sword strikes her head on. She hits the floor with a heavy thud. I look down in horror as a small pool of blood begins to form. She just let herself be hit… but why?! She just-

I'm struck at my side and sent careening into a lamppost, which I use to support myself. I urgently look over to see what hit me. It was… Emerald… but how? She stands opposite of me on the road, her expression is blank as she stares me down. This is impossible! I just saw her-

I'm left speechless as I look back to where I struck her, only to find nothing there. The street was completely empty. What confused me was that there was no sign of a fight, there was no blood, no body… My eyes drift back towards her, as I match her gaze I feel myself get hit in the gut once more. I'm forced down on one knee, before being able to look up. Emerald's gone again. Now, she's further down the street. Are these... illusions? There's no other choice but to hope she's left an opening somewhere.

My breathing's starting to get harder the longer this goes on, and Emerald notices this. I look over to _her_ , if that's really where she is and rush at her. As I do, I trip over something and land on the ground once again. I lift myself up as quickly as possible, as I do I look around to find several Emeralds circling around me. They all share the same blank stare. But, that's when I come up with an idea.

I hold my blade, still burning on fire, over my head. It's flame has started to become weaker, but it'll have to do. The night sky in the background makes me stand out above all else.

I look over to the several copies of my opponent and look closely at each individual one. What I'm looking for isn't each individual one, but rather what's behind them. A shadow. My entire plan relies on the hope that Emerald had forgotten about creating one for each individual replica of her. So far it appears to work. Now, I just need to find the _one_ with a shadow.

There! It's faint, but I can clearly see a shadow because of the flames on my sword, she's the one closest to me. I look her over and onto the next one to her. If I'm going to keep up the element of surprise then it's important that I play her game. I can't let her know that I know.

If I attack one close to her then she'll be tempted into attacking me again. There's so much that can go wrong with this. No matter what else, I can't see myself coming back on top without going to such extreme measure.

I go for it.

I make one final sprint towards one of the _fakes_ that are near her. There isn't anything that stops me from finishing my attack. My blade swings upwards effortlessly as it cuts through nothing. Luckily I figured out where Emerald was beforehand, so it doesn't surprise me when I see something out of the corner of my eye. It's time.

My sword falls down on the _real_ Emerald, it cuts through the scroll that's been used to stream all of this chaos to who knows how many people. Hopefully, I'll have done my part to help in all of this. The video feed turns to static as the source is destroyed

* * *

 **A/N:** **Second chapter along with the third introduction to this story. Something I need to clear up before I continue is that I tried to recreate Jaune's Semblance when Mercury went in for the final blow. I went off what I saw in** _ **Forever Fall, Pt.2**_ **while trying to add what I felt would represent Joan of Arc. I will elaborate on what exactly happened in a future chapter.** **Do I feel like I could have done better this chapter? Absolutely.**

 **I had planned on introducing Shirou in this chapter, but it was already running a bit long for what I wanted.** **On the bright side, I won't be leaving on a cliffhanger because of that. I'll keep my thoughts on this for the next chapter so I don't ruin the surprise, unless you've all figured me out, which I wouldn't doubt.**

 **That seems to be about it for now. Let me know your thoughts if there's a glaring issue in the story or something that should be added. Enjoy the rest of your day and thank you for taking the time to read my story.** **Until next time.**

 **Reviews**

 **PasiveNox: Thanks! I was able to show at least one of them this chapter, but don't worry, everyone should appear soon.**

 **DPSS: I will not lie. I felt like an idiot missing that the first time around. Thanks for the correction.**

 **Darkjaden: I hope this will at the very least be different from other fanfics.**

 **Roxas902: I know exactly what you mean. Hopefully I won't disappoint.**


	3. Resistance: Part III

_**Disclaimer: I own none of the properties displayed in this story. Each individual character belongs to their respective owners.**_

* * *

 _ **Pyrrha Nikos**_

Cinder stands over me menacingly. Her cold, unforgiving eyes gazed down at me. I can't move. I wouldn't have a chance to get away even if I could run away.

"It's unfortunate you were promised a power that was never truly yours." She lowers herself to me and takes ahold of my chin. "But take comfort in knowing that I will use it in ways you could have never imagined."

I look up at her. "Do you believe in destiny?"

She's angered by the question. A scowl forms over her face. "Yes." As she ends her answer she steps back and raises her arms as they take hold of a black stained bow that materializes out of thin air. She pulls back on the quiver only for a glass arrow to burn into existence.

I stare at the weapon in her hand. At first sight, it looks to be crudely made, but on closer inspection there isn't a single crack or fault in its design. Every aspect of the bow is made with purpose. The arrow on the other hand is a cruel twisted creation, it contains tiny jagged edges along the shaft of the arrow.

Our eyes locked together as I lay defeated, unable to move. I clearly see what she intends to do, and no matter what-

"Trace on."

Time begins to slow down. Out of the corner of my eye I see a spinning ebony sword, a falchion with a red hexagonal pattern covering the entirety of the blade, come into view from behind Cinder. It drastically changes its direction as it curves downward. The tip of the blade hacks away at Cinder's shoulder blade, leaving behind deep cuts that begin to bleed, before imbedding itself several inches into the marble floor, right in front of me. Cinder lets loose a scream of pain as her grip on the bow falters, causing her aim to be off; the glass arrow flies off into the distance. She furiously turns around while gripping her injured shoulder.

I drag myself off to the side to get a better look at what happened, but no matter how little I moved a surge of pain ran up my leg. It was useless applying any force without hurting my injury. The arrow that struck my heel had broken off, but the glass inside remained. However, the source of my attention quickly changes when I see what caught Cinder's eye.

Behind her is somebody roughly my age. Someone I do not recognize. He kneels precariously close to the edge as he supports himself up on one knee, wearing jeans and a tattered white shirt with blue sleeves. His gaze meets the floor. All I can make out are streaks of white cascaded against a head of auburn hair, and a single falchion in his right hand. Its design greatly matches the one that managed to land a hit on Cinder, but, this one is covered completely in white. Then, suddenly he slowly looks up towards her, and all I can see in his golden-brown eyes are one emotion; anger.

"You insolent, little-"

"Why?" She is cut off by the swordsman, whose questions appear as demands. His firm and calm voice betrays the look in his eyes. "Why all of this? What gives you the right to choose the fate of everyone else?"

Cinder lets out a sly laugh.

"This," she summons a portion of the Maiden's power in her palm, "gives me every right."

With a flick of her wrist a bolt of fire is sent hurtling towards the mysterious swordsman. The moment it left her hand its brightness increased, forcing me to look away while closing my eyes. I hear an explosion go off, and when I look back there are columns of smoke rising.

"Pathetic." Cinder turns back around to face me. She is clearly annoyed.

Guilt starts to wash over me. There was no reason for him to be involved! I had accepted my fate, but still there are those that tried to help me until the end. It wasn't right!

A gust of wind starts to blow past me, locks of my scarlet hair block my vision as I'm forced to look up at Cinder once again. But, that's when I see the smoke clear to reveal the swordsman unharmed.

"You must be pretty confident turning your back towards your opponent." He steadily makes his way towards Cinder, his blade casually hanging by his side.

"You..." Her eyes grow brightly as she summons more of the Maiden's power. This time however she lets out an assault of firepower. The radiating heat is strong enough to reach me even from my distance and it burned.

Each attack that she sent out was met by an equally strong counterattack. The swordsman lifted his blade and destroyed every flame sent out to destroy him. It surprised me how relaxed he was in this entire situation, as he calmly walked forward, only his arm made any attempt to stop the oncoming onslaught.

While not lit on fire, his gaze held the same ferocity of his opponent.

"Just die already!" Screams Cinder. As she does, she extends both arms out towards the swordsman and lets out a constant, violent stream of fire that engulfs him. I lose sight of him behind the sea of flames.

Once she's satisfied with herself she lets the flames dissipate, but, there he stands, yet again. A five petal shield pulsates from his free hand and in an instant it disappeared. And in an instant he dashes towards Cinder. With little time to react she creates her own set of identical swords made out of the same black glass as before. The blades are sleek with multiple cutting edges. And just like a flash of lightning he stands right before her. He begins a series of strikes with an upwards thrust with the ivory blade. With each attack she is pushed further into the defensive and it's obvious she is struggling. Each continuous strike gains speed, giving her even less time to react.

Cinder takes a leap backwards to gain a degree of space, however it's enough for her to gain her bearings and with that she is able to begin her attack. She takes advantage of every opening her opponent leaves in his defense and strikes with a full intent to kill. But, each attack is met with either a block or a dodge to the side, followed by an attack of his own. Their speed is unbelievable. My eyes barely have time to register what exactly is happening and that which I do manage to see is a near a complete blur.

In an instant she joins both blades together to form the very same bow from before, and as she pulls on a nonexistent bowstring three arrows form. Then, with one quick strike the swordsman destroys the glass bow before she can manage to fire off a single shot. The following explosion of glass forces both combatants back, and a long dull takes hold of the battle

Cinder looks around frantically for any sign of escape. She has clearly met someone that not only matches her in strength but surpasses her. This entire time she was the one on the offensive and not able to land a single damaging hit against her opponent. She's afraid, she doesn't know what to do in this situation.

That's when she look towards my direction.

A grin spread across her lips. Without wasting a moment she summons forth a blast of fire that's sent hurtling towards my direction. My eyes are fixated on the incoming fire as I search for anything to deflect it, that's when my Semblance manages to pick up something. It takes what little aura I have left to move it in time, whatever it is, I hope it's enough.

It didn't last for more than a moment, but I manage to catch sight of the object I managed to pull in before the mass of fire reached me. The black falchion with the hexagonal pattern spun back to life and intercepted the attack. It's edge cut into the core of the fire, forcing a giant explosion. The blade shattered before my eyes. Pieces fly off in every direction. Thankfully, the full force of the attack was diminished and I avoided any serious injuries. What I wasn't prepared for, however, was the blast force created by the attack.

At first, it felt odd, as if I were suspended in a single spot. I couldn't distinguish my surroundings. Whether or not I was staring towards the top or the bottom remained a mystery for a brief period. Then, I began to fall.

The explosion was strong enough to send me off the edge of the tower. By the time I caught sight of the tower once again it only became farther and farther out of reach. I extend my arm outwards in an attempt to grab something, anything! But, there's nothing. My free fall towards the solid, unmoving ground is only mere seconds away.

Feelings of regret and disappointment wash over me. Another chance to stop her was within my grasp but I couldn't do anything about it! Now someone else has to pick up where I left off, and hopefully they will be able to finish it. However, this fall will not be the end of me.

If I can manage to slow down my fall far enough then I will manage to survive the landing. The metal in my armor should be enough to support my weight plus the added force from falling, if I use my Semblance; polarity. Timing is of the upmost importance. I need to slow down enough to the point my body will be able to survive. Too slow and my body will be crushed from the sudden stop, too fast and I'll cause too much strain on my body; depleting my aura.

My thoughts are short lived, as once again I find the swordsman that promptly saved me the first time around, leaping off the tower himself. I'm shocked, for lack of a better word. To go this far to save one life is… amazing. However, I sincerely hope that he has a plan to get us out of this situation, if not, then it will have become increasingly difficult to slow down both our descents.

As he reaches me, he holds out his opened hand for me to take and I do. That's when I get a chance to notice the difference of pigment in his skin. Portions of his body are severely tanned, almost as if it was forcefully burned onto his skin. The difference in color is mostly spread across his left arm, with part of it creeping its way on his face.

"Hold on!" He yells, but at the rate we're falling his voice is almost lost by the time it reaches me.

I grab onto his shoulder as he wraps his arm around me, so that we both face each other and nod to confirm that I'm ready for whatever plan he has in mind. He positions us so that we drift towards the tower until there's only a few inches separating us from it.

We near closer to the ground with every passing moment. Suddenly our speed rapidly decreases, the sudden shift almost makes me lose my grip. I look up to see that he had dug his white blade into the base of the tower. The sound of metal scraping against concrete shatters my ears the longer we continue to fall. We leave behind a long, narrow mark on the side of the tower. Sparks fly in every direction as the blade resists against all odds, but like anything else I can see it start to give in to strain. Cracks start to run up along the side of the blade, it's almost a miracle it hasn't snapped in two yet.

So I do my part. Even though my aura is dangerously low, I can still help. I give everything I have into concentrating on the blade and using my Semblance in order lessen the pressure. Shards continue to break off and scatter while the base of the blade remains intact. My body aches from nearing its limit. My mind struggles to keep me conscious. But, even so, I continue to push through. The anticipation of reaching the ground causes me to spare a glimpse down, and to my horror we are mere moments away, but at the speed at which we're falling it will not be enough.

That is when I lose connection with the blade. It continues to break further and further until I'm almost sure that the hilt would just fall off any second. I look up at the mysterious swordsman once again in order to gauge what he thought of our current predicament. His expression was as serious as before, but there was no fear, no sign of hesitation, he simply continued to hold on to his crumbling blade no matter what. Our lives depended on the forgery of the weapon in his hand, even the best of swords were not meant to withstand this kind of pressure, even against the Grimm. But to withstand several hundred feet of solid concrete? That was out of the question. Sooner or later all weapons would need to either be fixed or replaced.

And… just when I thought things couldn't possibly get any worse, I see four Griffon appear out of nowhere and begin to chase after us. Despite our already impending doom they continue nevertheless. Their talons spread wide as they prepare to grab hold of us and drag us off to who knows where, that is if they don't wait for us to land first. Their piercing, amber eyes bore a hole in me as they continue nearing us. Black wings unfurled, revealing the extent of the monster. I'm left with no choice in the matter, there is little to nothing I can do at this point but to wait for the outcome. Panic quickly takes hold of me.

In an instant the gap between us and the Griffons closes. The first to reach us eagerly attempts to slam us against the outside of the tower, only to be struck down by a wave of bright blue fire. It quickly falls past us as it begins to diminish into nothingness, just like any other creature of Grimm. This sudden outcome makes me lose my grip on the still struggling swordsman. I slip past him, only being able to hold on to his arm. Looking down, there appears another Griffon, its angled in way so that my feet are directly above its huge frame, however this one is incredibly different. Between the folds of its black feathers, erupt flames of the same hue that took down the first.

With no time to react both of us are land with a thud on the back of the Grimm. Sprawled across a mass of fiery feathers, that are surprisingly warm to the touch, we find ourselves tangled to one another as we desperately try to hold on. There is little distance before we reach the ground. Seemingly knowing this, the Griffon picks up its speed. My eyes widen in alarm as it continues to move downwards. I'm dragged across the air, it is a struggle to maintain a hold on its wings. However, nearing the base of the tower it gracefully hooks its way upwards; nearly missing the ground entirely. Evening itself out, it drastically slows down.

The sudden shift in motion causes a great deal of whiplash. To avoid it from affecting too much I focus on my grip on the Grimm. Between the gaps of my fingers pop out spouts of blue flames. They don't hurt, they don't burn, in fact, they're very warm to the touch.

Without me realizing it the Griffon was landing, and the sudden stop causes me and the swordsman to lose our grip and fall off onto the concrete pathway. We roll for a bit until stopping on a patch of grass. My body aches all over from the impact. Though I am grateful it wasn't as hard as it would have been.

Both me and the swordsman quickly untangle ourselves from one another after we're absolutely sure that we've stopped entirely. I try to catch my breath and I realize just how hard my breathing is. I'm practically gasping for air at this point. The pain from my heel starts up again but that's overshadowed due to the relief and joy I'm feeling from surviving. I lean on the back of my arms and am able to lift myself up to a certain degree.

The swordsman manages to stand up and is more or less unfazed by the entire thing. He simply stares at Griffon with a quizzical look.

"Why is it that this is the only one not attacking us?" The swordsman gestures towards the Griffon, still lit ablaze, with what remained of of his crumbling blade. His demeanor has greatly changed, from the ferocious warrior to a relieved person.

"I… don't know." I reply, unsure of how to respond.

The Griffon stamps its front talons on the ground, letting itself be known. Three of them stand idly by as I attempt to pick myself up.

"Actually," a new voice makes itself heard, "I'd like to know what they are exactly." From behind the farthest Griffon in the back came into view someone else I didn't recognize. He wore a variant form of a uniform that consisted of a buttoned up white shirt with black pants and coat. All of which have clearly seen better days. Patches of fabric have either been completely torn off or burned. He held a stainless steel sword over his shoulders that emitted a dim glow from the blue fire that enveloped it, the same that covered the Grimm that had saved us. A tail loosely waved back and forth behind him. Normally it would be a safe assumption that he was of Faunus decent, if it was not for the fact that he himself was on fire with the same flames as his sword. It would have been cause for alarm if he wasn't just casually walking towards us.

"You mean… the Griffons?" I hesitantly ask.

"Hmm." He stops and reaches up towards one of the Griffons and begins to pet its mane with no care in the world. He lets out a small laugh as his face forms a huge grin. "I can't say I've ever seen one before."

"Wait!" This isn't important right now. There's an even bigger question to be answered right now. "Are you the one controlling the Grimm? You're covered in the same fire as them."

"Guess I am." He closes his eyes and visibly struggles to find the words to follow up his answer. "But there's something off."

"How are you doing that?" I ask amazed. "No one has ever been able to control the Grimm before."

He appears to be taken aback as he takes a slight step back with his free hand slightly raised in defense as his eyes widen a bit. "That's… 'gonna be a long story."

"Then, who are you two?"

"Just call me Rin." He regains his composure and confidently points at himself with his thumb.

I look over to the swordsman, who takes a moment to decide how to approach the answer. He has a blank gaze which makes it hard to decipher what exactly it is he's thinking. Then, just as quick as he appeared out of nowhere, his resolve becomes clear and he answers.

"Shirou." He says with a determined look. "So, what about your name?"

Knowing what to call them is enough for me at this point. I am a bit suspicious of them, but it's clear that they're both here to help.

"Pyrrha. Pyrrha Nikos. How did you two-"

Before I can ask anything else I'm interrupted by the sound of something cutting through the air followed by a loud thump. I quickly turn around to find a decapitated Beowolf a bit away from out current location, its body gradually vanishes into nothingness. And at the center stood the ivory blade, the length of it was cracked right in the middle.

"We shouldn't stay here too long," states the swordsman. He walks towards me and extends his arm forward; offering me his hand. "Can you stand?"

I take hold of his hand once more, lift myself up with my uninjured side and attempt to put some weight on my foot in hopes that it isn't as bad of an injury as I previously thought. As soon as I do though, I wince in pain. The glass is still very present as it continues to dig further, further in. With little warning, I fall forward, landing hard on my knees.

The swordsman catches me from falling any further and holds me up. He begins to look around for something, until his eyes land on the Griffon, its radiant blue flames still very present. Leaving me behind for a moment, he walks over to it and hovers his hand over the fire. Once he's satisfied he walks back over to me and kneels down by my left side and hooks my arm around his neck. Together we slowly stand up and I'm able to support myself against him.

"Come on. We can't stay here."

My mind can't help but think back to the top of the tower. Cinder remains there, unchallenged and left to her own devices. There's still so much that can go wrong even if she is stopped, but I'm in no position to be able to go back. I'm forced to accept there is nothing left for me up there, not in my current position.

"In that case, we need to make our way towards the airships, if they're still there that is." I look around for any sign of where we landed. We're still within the academy "It looks like we landed a ways off the side of the tower. If we walk alongside the edge we should make our way into the courtyard and then it's a straight path from there."

I painfully limp my way towards the Griffon and as I approach it slightly extends its wings in response as a warning. Both me and Shirou suddenly stop until Rin goes over and rustles its mane in an attempt to coax it to let us approach.

It's odd. The creatures of Grimm are bent on the destruction of mankind, but, whatever it is Rin is doing to it is making it submissive. Almost as if its instinct to kill have been taken away or at the very least controlled. Funnily enough, it acts very similarly to how a horse would.

Once we're close enough I steadily lift myself on top of it. Surprisingly, it doesn't show any sign of distrust as before. However, its body is still made for carnage. Its feathers are deadly sharp, just as a Nevermore's. Discomfort aside, the blue flames give off a warm sensation which helps balance against the night air.

After helping me, Shirou then makes his way over to the abandoned ivory blade, still dug deep into the ground, and grabs onto the handle. With a light tug the blade quickly falls apart. Several shards of metal litter the ground. All that remains is the handle which he lets slip off his hand. Surprisingly, he doesn't seem fazed by the loss of his weapons.

"I'm sorry about your swords… I'm surprised they managed to go through as much as they did."

"Don't worry about it." He say, to my relief. He holds out his open hand and a static energy fills his palm. It lasts for a second before it takes the shape of a javelin; Miló. An exact copy of the weapon which had been destroyed during my battle with Cinder appears in his grasp. Then, he tosses it at me. It feels a bit off balanced, but every other aspect of it is the same as before.

"H-How?" I ask amazed.

"I'll explain later. Cover our backs in case something gets past." He starts to walk forward. "But, I should warn you that it's not exactly what you're used to. Just keep it in that form."

Just as he did with my javelin, another surge of energy creates the pair of twin swords that he held before. A pristine ivory blade held in his right along with a patterned ebony in his left. Both show no sign of damage. I would be at a loss for words if this day hadn't just kept getting weirder.

We begin to make our way towards the airships. Few Grimm stand in our path and are easily taken out. All seems to be going well until the wind around us violently drags us off our feet.

* * *

 **A/N: I didn't expect this chapter to solely be on Pyrrha's perspective, but I feel that I did well overall aside from some mistakes that will** **surely be there. As to what Cinder is up to on top of the tower will be left for the next chapter. Unfortunately, I had to cut off an unfinished section of the ending simply because it was already getting to be too long. It's my plan to line up the ending of this and the following chapter together so that there isn't any more time-skipping.**

 ** **That seems to be about it for now. Let me know your thoughts if there's a glaring issue in the story or something that should be added. Enjoy the rest of your day and thank you for taking the time to read my story. Until next time.****

 **Reviews**

 **CD123505: You're pretty much spot on. In my opinion, Rin needs something aside from his blue flames to make him stand out and I have something in mind for that.**

 **Neema Amiry: Some of the things Shirou says is going to remind Ichigo of a certain Quincy, that's for sure.**

 **InfinityMask: Most of them did manage to finish their respective stories because I would be taking away from their characters if I did otherwise.**

 **Roxas902: Some characters will naturally be drawn to one another while it might take a bit of a push in the right direction for others. The four characters I chose to bring to the world of Remnant, I think, have at least one or two traits that can unite them together to form a team.**


	4. Together at Last

**Disclaimer: I own none of the properties displayed in this story. Each individual character belongs to their respective owner.**

* * *

Ruby stands speechless as Pyrrha is blown back by the explosion. It all happened in an instant, but before she can completely register what happened, a mysterious man with auburn hair jumps off the edge of the tower after Pyrrha. The two soon disappear out of view as gravity claimed them both. Without wasting a moment, the scarlet reaper ran towards the edge. Falling to her knees, to get even a hair width closer, she furiously holds on with every ounce of strength available to her onto anything that will prevent her from falling. The wind violently blows past her, narrowly knocking her off. For a moment she just stands there, watching with dreaded anticipation. Only her hood makes any sort of movement as it billows against the wind that dares to knock her off.

"It's too late for them, you know?"

Ruby snaps back into the present. The all too familiar voice of someone that she could have called a friend is now mocking her. Slowly, she turns around and is disheartened to find just who she was expecting.

"So, it was you. You're the one that's responsible for all of this!" Ruby yelled.

"What an astute observation."

Cinder Fall, the newest Fall Maiden stood with the upmost superiority. Her gaze was one of self-fulfillment. She was pleased at herself. Pleased that nothing else could stand in her way.

"But, why!? What do you have to gain out of this – out of all of this suffering?"

"The suffering of others matters little to me. It's just an added bonus."

A wicked grin spreads across Cinder's face.

"Everyone is a bug to be squashed under my foot. Their power can't even begin to compare to mine, and thus, they don't deserve my mercy."

"But- But that's wrong! Everyone deserves to live happily, not just because one person doesn't see it that way."

"Naive, little girl. Someone without the influence to change this world is meant to bend to the whim of their superiors."

No! I won't accept that!"

Without giving it a second thought, Ruby swings Crescent Rose over her head. By pulling the trigger once, the scythe gains a ridiculous amount of momentum. Enough force that the tip of the blade sinks into the cracked marble of the ground. Next, a flurry of dust-rounds escapes the elongated barrel at next to impossible speeds.

All the while, Cinder destroys anything that remotely reaches her; she doesn't have to move an inch as the fiery aura around her is enough. The Maiden's power begins to surge through her body – manifesting itself in the form of a deadly fire. Her eyes burn ferociously with this fire, as well as the palms of her hands. The sudden surge of this pure energy is intoxicating. It's maddening to think that only now could she experience such raw power.

Shot after shot, round after round, everything that is thrown at Cinder quickly turns into nothing but scrap metal. Giving into desperation, Ruby dislodges Crescent Rose and switches it into its released form. She takes a wide stance, lowering her body as close to the ground as possible. Her eyes are keenly locked onto Cinder as she activates her Semblance. In an instant, she disappears – only leaving behind a trail of crimson roses. Cinder's eyes widen in shock and fill with concern. Quickly, her gaze follows the trail which leads her past her field-of-vision. The first thing she notices is a dangerously sharpened blade falling on her. However, before it can reach its target, shards of darkened glass begin to form in mid-air and join to form a curved blade.

With the same speed it took the young scarlet reaper to sneak behind her opponent, Cinder meets the attack with a blade of her own. She is half turned away from her attacker, yet she is able to invoke a stalemate as they both fight over control. Ruby pushes against what should be a weakened grip, yet Cinder refuses to budge. The difference of size between both Crescent Rose and the unnamed glass blade is absurd; by weight from the scythe alone should be enough to overpower any sword.

"Are you done yet?"

Ruby looks up; she is met with a sideways glance that does not look all that pleasant. Cinder frowns in disappointment. Up to this point she has yet to find the scarlet reaper to be an actual challenge. She grows bored of this dull lull. The aura around Cinder begins to grow in strength and begins to emit outwards – knocking Ruby back. She skids to a stop across the already destroyed flooring.

"You can't win."

"We'll see about that!"

Once again, Ruby begins to engage Cinder. This time however, Ruby allows her Semblance to be constantly activated. She circles around her opponent, leaving Cinder in a daze. Once she manages to get behind any of Cinder's blind-spots, she strikes. This cycle repeats itself several times, and each time the scythe only barely clips Cinder after every strike. Ruby soon realizes that her attack is a fruitless endeavor. She leaps back and begins to release several more rounds of dust at her opponent. Finally, Cinder can gain her bearings and quickly turns around and begins to destroy the incoming projectiles with her darkened glass blades. Once again, the power of the Fall Maiden begins to envelop her as she gradually rises into the air.

Flames violently swirl across her being. Her arms are held out to her side. Then, several flames are shot forward from the torrent encircling her. Each is chaotically shot in every direction, and the moment they connect with anything they explode in a violent swath of destruction.

Ruby is forced to dodge each or else she runs the risk of severely burning herself. From one attack to another, there isn't a single moment of risk. The constant onslaught of fire gets dangerously close to her. Although she narrowly evades each attack, the heat emitting from each one is painful. Her eyes begin to sting as temperature in the space around her gradually rises. A thin veil of sweat begins to form on the surface of her exposed skin. The air she breaths in feels insufficient, almost as if she was being slowly suffocated. Still, she persists.

Every time she finds an opening she is forced to retreat further back closer to the edge due to another barrage of flames. But, the longer the battle continues the stronger and deadlier the fire becomes. Her breathing starts to labor. With every step, every swing, the battle becomes that much harder. She begins to tire.

It's been the greater part of a minute and Ruby still has not been able to land a single decisive blow against her opponent. All the while Cinder only appears to grow in strength. The aura surrounding her extends farther out – creating a bounded field of flame. Everywhere inside is brightly lit; there isn't a single shed of darkness to be found.

Spears of glass begin to form behind Cinder. Their sharp edges are straight out of a nightmare, they can seemingly cut through anything with the utmost of ease. Then, with great speed they shoot off in Ruby's direction. There is no time to waste, so Ruby brings up Crescent Rose and continuously spins it in place; hoping to create some form of defense from the oncoming onslaught of glass. With the torrent of flames it's almost impossible to distinguish the incoming projectiles. The light from the fire reflects off the glass, and emits a powerful glaring light; blinding the young scarlet-reaper. The first glass spear misses, narrowly missing her head. However, the next oncoming attacks aren't as generous. Pain emanates from the side of her head. Shards of glass tear through the surface of the flesh; enough to draw blood, and cause a splitting headache to Ruby. What feels like an eternity is only a handful of moments, but in the span of that time, several shards break through the young scarlet-reaper's defenses.

Cinder brings her arm forward, never relenting on her constant onslaught of unending storm of glass. The aura of flame surrounding her concentrates into a single space in front of her creating a mass of flames that is shot towards Ruby. It is large enough to consume an entire person with ease, and it reaches its target in an instant. The force from the explosion knocks Ruby back; she skids across the tattered flooring until she nears the edge, and comes to a complete stop. As Ruby looks behind her, she finds that only a few inches separate her from a disastrous fall, enough to see the bottom.

The entire floor of what remains of the top of the tower is littered with fire. However, a high pitched shriek fills the air. In the distance, from atop the clouds, can be seen a fiery projectile heading directly towards the top of the destroyed tower. It violently crashes in the center, separating both Ruby and Cinder.

A girl with burning eyes walks through a sea of flames. Her black cloak along with her radiating crimson hair billows gently across the wind. Folded in wings made of the very same fire surrounding her protrude from her back. Not a single detail is lost in each individual feather as they weave together to create a beautiful array. Around her neck she wears a pendant vibrating with energy. Without losing a step she continues her stride towards the center. Embers fall around her and grow in strength the more they approach her. She gives out an air of terrifying intensity, but there is concern hidden somewhere deep within.

She takes her right hand and reaches into the void of her cloak. As she retracts her arm back, a breathtakingly silver blade emerges from nowhere. Its radiant glow loosely hangs by her side.

Once she reaches the center she stops. First, she looks towards Ruby. The young scythe-user doesn't know how to react; she is in disbelief. Who is she? What is she doing here? These thoughts and many others run rampantly through her head. The girl with the burning eyes oddly enough gazes over Ruby with a cold and calculating stare. As if she was attempting to figure out who she was by staring directly into her soul. After a moment of silence, she moves on to Cinder, and instantly she reacts by readying her blade.

"Who are you?" Asks the girl with burning eyes; her voice is steady and firm.

Cinder looks up with hate in her eye.

"I have no reason to answer to you!"

With a flick of Cinder's wrist, a surge of darkened shards of glass fly towards the girl. However, it is easily swapped away with one clean strike of her sword. The girl with burning eyes is not phased one bit, in fact she repeats her question.

"What are you?"

"I am Shana, the Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter."

Both Ruby and Cinder look at the girl, now known as Shana, with a confused look. The name carries weight, especially the way she announced herself. However, she doesn't show any arrogance. She says it with the upmost of confidence and allows it to speak volumes onto itself.

"This is getting irritating," claims Cinder.

With this, Cinder rises from the ground. The power of the Fall Maiden elevates her to new heights as pure, unfiltered, raw power surges through her body once again. This time, she isn't taking any risks, not with how the majority of this incursion has gone.

Sparks of fire rapidly encircle her body. In the next instance, projectiles shoot off from the aura surrounding her. Each screeches against the air as it's wildly sent outwards. However, before she can continue her attack, Shana closes the distance between them by rushing forwards in one fell swoop - ignoring the barrage of fire, and cutting through anything that gets in her way. She appears before Cinder, however what astonishes everyone is that her blade is tightly pressed up against Cinder's throat.

"I'm not going to ask again. Who are you, and what are those powers you have?"

Cinder grits her teeth as she's forced into submission. It doesn't take much aside from Shana's intense gaze to know that there's no getting out of this situation without giving her what she wants.

"Now, what would a girl want to know about something she can't comprehend." Cinder exclaims, gritting her teeth.

A wickedly sharp blade begins to form in Cinder's palms, however this weapon is different from all the others. It is infused with raw magic, and gives the blade a slight vibrating glow. Without warning, Cinder strikes at Shana. The blade nears dangerously close to Shana, however she is able to block the attack. What happens next shocks the Flame Haze as the blade cracks, resulting in a disastrous explosion. The sheer strength of it is enough to send her spiraling towards the edge. She becomes dazed as she is sent hurtling towards the base of the tower.

Ruby is left alone to contend with Cinder by herself. She is in a rage. Her empiric demeanor is nowhere to be seen, but rather in its place is nothing but a blank stare.

The glass blade sinks into Ruby's abdomen. She coughs up a spurt of blood as the air is knocked out of her. Crescent Rose drops to the floor. A warmness trickles down her side, but what truly aggravates her is the coldness of the blade. Despite Cinder having fire based attacks, it is the cold, frigid blade that stings the most. As it pierces through Ruby's muscle, the tip of the weapon reaches bone.

"Don't try to move unless you want to die quicker." Cinder grabs hold of Ruby's arm that once held Crescent Rose. "I don't know who that other girl was, maybe she was one of Ozpin's final attempts at saving this pathetic excuse of an academy. However, there is something that I do know; I will raze this entire kingdom slowly, and painfully - making sure to enjoy destroying you love, starting with your sister."

Ruby's eyes widen in surprise. Cinder's blatant declaration of hurting her sister is unthinkable. Fear starts to invade every facet of Ruby's being until Cinder speaks up again.

"This is the end for you, and your pathetic Kingdom."

Just as Cinder is about to dig the glass deeper into Ruby the sky turns into a blazing fire, so much that it is blinding. The heat emitted starts to burn their skin, not enough to do any harm, however it feverishly stings at anything exposed. Taken by surprise to the sudden exposure of light, Cinder attempts to turn around, but only manages to catch a sideways glance before it's too late.

Like an animal in a hunt, Shana suddenly appears behind Cinder. There is only one expression on her face, and that is rage. Her fiery wings extend outwards and radiantly shine. Her sword erupts in a torrent of flames, and falls in a downward motion – creating a huge gash in Cinder's back. The new Fall Maiden is caught by surprise, and is sent hurtling to the ground, dropping Ruby. The shock from the attack renders Cinder incapacitated as she lays there limp. Burn marks layer her back as they are visibly etched into her skin.

Shana first checks to see Cinder's condition, ensuring that she is indeed passed out before moving to attend to Ruby, who has also fallen to the ground. She desperately holds on to the glass stabbing at her insides as blood profusely seeps out. With no warning, Shana kneels down to grab the shaft of the darkened glass, and rips it out of Ruby's abdomen. A shriek of pain escapes the scarlet-reaper's lips; her heartbeat runs rampant as her body deals to register the constant pain.

Slowly her breathing steadies, she begins to relax despite the pain.

Shana rips open Ruby's clothing, enough to get a look at the damage, and is unfortunately met with what she feared. The glass blade caused a severe laceration. Noticing the severity of the wound, Shana reaches into her cloak, but stops. Before her eyes, the wound has already begun to close itself, albeit it slowly. It surprises her to see a wound heal at such a rapid rate, it seems unworldly. She eyes Ruby with a look of confusion, but is returned with a tired expression.

Then, a huge black mass emerges over the edge of the tower. It's size is unfathomable from the distance separating the two.

* * *

The Dragon Grimm flies overhead. Its giant, translucent wings rhythmically beat against the air. Circling around the academy grounds, it seeks out its prey. All the while, giant masses of a black mud fall precariously from the dragon's hide - forming into the horrifying variants of Grimm.

Pyrrha, Shirou, and Rin gaze over the disgusting muck that lands a way over. Slowly and painfully, several Beowolves claw their way past the mud. For a moment, they lay across the ground - not moving an inch. Then, they begin to stand tall, supporting themselves on their hind legs. The yellow of their eyes fills with hunger - insatiable hunger. However, their objective isn't aimed at them. Just as a pack of wolves working in tandem, the Grimm run off after whatever it is that caught their interest.

The Invincible Girl, Pyrrha signals the Gryffon acting as her steed to move forward. She is about to turn around the corner when a wall of ice and frost shoots outwards – stopping her from advancing any further.

With the upmost caution, she slowly rides forward. The light gallop of the Gryffon slows down to a halt as it reaches the corner. Frost continues to rise from the exposed ground. Before turning the corner, Pyrrha strengthens her grip on the spear in her hand. The weight of it is significantly different, however the steel its composed of is fine and strong. Nothing appears to be different from the outside, however it is a completely different weapon entirely. Nonetheless, it's one of the best weapons she has had the pleasure of laying her eyes on.

Readying herself, Pyrrha signals to both Rin and Shirou to move up ahead. She takes a deep breath before committing herself. Then, with eyes of determination she rides forward, turning around the sharp corner with the upmost of grace. Almost immediately she is forced to halt. What she sees before her is a sight for sore eyes, albeit a tad worrisome. The tip of a steel rapier rests precariously near her throat. She is forced to hold her head up at an odd angle to avoid the blade from stabbing at her throat. However, it's the wielder of the weapon that brings forth a wave of relief to the young Invincible Girl.

Weiss Schnee, the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company; known to many as the Ice Queen. She wears her standard attire: a white strapless dress, battle-skirt, and alongside a short jacket with the inside lined in red. A faint scar runs down her left eye. Her demeanor is ragged. A mix of emotions floods her face, concern for aiming her weapon at her sought out friend, and curiosity as to why it is she is here of all places. It's obvious that her heart is racing, her breathing has yet to slow down as her chest heaves up and down in rapid succession.

"Pyrrha… is that you?" Asks Weiss dumbfounded.

The extra height added from the Gryffon is significant and allowed Pyrrha to tower over the already short girl. Weiss's face is smeared with both relief and confusion. However, it takes both girls a good second to realize that Pyrrha is still held at the edge of a sword. Quickly noticing her mistake, Weiss lowers her blade as her face flushes red for a moment.

"Yes… it's me. Why are you out here alone? Where are the others?"

Weiss' eyes are transfixed on the Grimm below Pyrrha. The Griffon's blue flames lightly curl around the Invincible Girl's as they rise from its body. Just like an impatient horse, it taps its hooves on the ground; it waits for us to continue forwards. This snaps the heiress out of her daydream.

"Uhh…. What exactly is that… thing that you're riding on, Pyrrha?"

"It's… a long story. I promise.

"Now, hold on a moment! Just what exactly are you doing, and who are those two behind you?" Weiss gestures over to Rin and Shirou with a look of annoyance. "They're clearly not Huntsmen. Are they students from one of the other academies?

"I barely know any more than you do. But, they did save me. That must count for something, so I think that we can trust them."

It takes Weiss a bit to come to the same conclusion, albeit a bit hesitantly.

"Alright. If you say so. I expect you to tell us everything once this is all over."

"So, why are you out here all alone?"

Shaking herself out of a daze, Weiss proceeds to answer, "Everyone's started to evacuate. The Grimm are starting to overwhelm what little of us are left, so the dropships are ready to take as many of the students to safety while the professors hold them back."

"That still doesn't explain what you're doing here. There's no one else out here."

Weiss shoots Pyrrha with a ridiculous look as if she was missing something obvious.

"We came here for you, Pyrrha!"

The Invincible Girl is taken aback a bit. She wasn't expecting for Weiss' response to be so abrasive yet filled with anguish. Almost no one else knew she was even out there.

"Wait, what do you mean by 'we'?"

"Jaune told us that you were going off to fight Cinder by yourself! So, ruby and I started to make our way out here to help."

"Ruby's out here?!" Pyrrha asks with concern. "Then, where is she?"

"She's not here anymore. She ran up the tower to…"

The sound of an explosion interrupts Weiss in mid-sentence. Quickly, turning their heads to the source of the disastrous sound, the group finds a cloud of dust rising a few feet away. They all slowly approach except for Shirou, who tenses up and readies his twin blades. Before anyone can get anywhere close, a violent gust of wind blows past, pushing the dust and rubble towards the unsuspecting group.

Once the air clears, a crater is left behind. In the middle is a girl with scarlet hair, she wears a tattered cloak made of the night itself. However, that isn't what catches everyone's eyes. Growing from her back are wings made from fiery feathers that burn so bright that it's painful to watch directly at them. She's facing away from the group, and only affords a side glance only to show a scowl of annoyance. With one push downwards from her fiery wings she takes flight once again, and reaches abnormally high speeds.

"And who was that…?" Asks Weiss.

"A magic user."

Everyone turns to Shirou in disbelief. Although the surprise mainly comes from Pyrrha and Weiss, who have no idea what it is he's talking about.

"Wait, you know her?" Questions Pyrrha.

"No. But, she literally gave off a strong aura. I've felt something like it before, but still, it was different."

"Hold on. Magic and Aura are too completely different things. You can't just call them whichever and have it mean the same."

"This isn't the time to argue!" Rin yells.

Everyone turns to face him, oddly enough he has been all too quiet up until now. This is extraordinarily odd.

"We don't have time to argue about this. If there's someone else up there then we need to go help them."

The faces of everyone go through a slew of differing emotions. No one is quite sure of how to handle the situation. Would it be best to continue forwards and leave the scarlet reaper to her own fate? Or is it time once again to storm the castle? Nevertheless, there is a predicament no matter which option is chosen.

Time seems to go by slower until a blast of violent wind blows past everyone. Before anyone realizes it the ground violently shakes, knocking everyone off their feet. A growl from the darkest nightmares that haunts the hearts of men erupts from in front of the group.

The Grimm Dragon stands over everyone, and without warning it starts to bite at its closest target. Everyone manages to jump back before they're eaten up.

Rin rushes at the dragon – taking it by surprise. With one leap to the side, he narrowly dodges a claw swipe that destroys the ground where he stood. He rolls to the side, and as he gets up he is met with the beast's tail. Rin is thrown to the side, and sent crashing into the wall of the tower through sheer force alone. He is lodged into the wall. The air is knocked out of his lungs, and a look of pain flashes across his face before turning back into a look of determination. Reinforcing his grip on his blade, Kurikara, Rin pulls himself out of of the destroyed wall, and with a determined battle-cry he rushes at the beast once more.

Giving it his all, he is able to reach the dragon in mere moments, and begins to scale its side. The difference in size between the two is laughable, from a distance Rin would appear as nothing but a flaming speck. However, he continues to climb, all the while the dragon does it's best to throw him off.

Realizing that something is clinging onto itself, the Grimm Dragon takes flight. Everyone is taken by surprise, especially Rin who is not prepared to be taken for a ride.

As he is taken to the top of the tower the Exwire, Rin, bathed in blue flames, locks eyes with the Flame Haze, Shana. In her arms is an exhausted Ruby. For a moment, time slows down as the two take notice of each other's presence. Blazing blue eyes meet with flaming red eyes. Then, time catches up.

The Grimm Dragon drags Rin across the sky. He is forced to hold on with all his might else he will plummet to the ground. Despite it all, he continues to climb across the beast's back - leaving behind a trail of fire. The mere touch of his flames burn the dragon's hide, not enough for it to notice, but enough for it to be visibly seen.

Gently lowering Ruby, Shana takes flight after Rin. The two have no knowledge of one another, however it is clear from the very beginning that they are fighting the same battle, and that it will take a combined effort from them all. Blazing, fiery wings sprout to life, and magnificently spread across the night sky. While they lack the size and depth of the dragon's they far exceed them in elegance and beauty.

As she races against the beast, she pierces the air in an attempt to reach the still struggling Rin. However, it is a fruitless endeavor. Noticing this, Rin grabs hold of one of one of the dragon's scales. With his other hand he tightly grabs on to Kurikara, and drives the point of the blade straight through one of the scales, breaking it straight through. His blue flames permeate throughout the dragon in an attempt to control it. For a brief moment the entirety of the dragon is consumed in flames.

However, the brief attack stuns the dragon. It is clearly confused as to what happened, but still manages to continue flying. In its moment of weakness, Shana manages to catch up to the beast, and lands on top of it. She struggles to reach Rin, however he realizes this and begins to make his way towards her.

The Grimm Dragon senses movement on its back, and begins to maneuver in an unpredictable manner. It turns so violent that it threatens to throw off both Rin and Shana. Luckily, it isn't enough as the two determined warriors hold on to their very lives.

Shana extends her hand outwards towards Rin, likewise he does the same. They are but fingertips apart, but it's still enough to separate them from reaching one another. Then, the dragon begins to spin out of control, as a last resort of ridding itself of the two. It is strong enough to loose Rin's grip, and launches him off in higher into the air.

Not wasting a moment, Shana launches herself in the very same direction. Her wings extend outwards, and she picks up speed. In a mere moment she catches up to him before he crashes into the solid ground beneath. She holds out her arm, and grabs hold of his outstretched arm just in time. Quickly, the two decelerate and land a ways away from the dragon.

Noticing that Rin has been rescued, it is decided that now is the time to act.

A black bow materializes in Shirou's hand. Its sleek, curved surface is warm to the touch.

A legendary blade manifests in his right hand. He notches it into the bow as if it were an arrow, and as he pulls back the blade it twists into a deformed version of its former self; the edges begin to coil around the thin core and jut out. Hrunting: The Hound of the Red Plains, a blade capable of seeking out the blood of its prey through extraordinary means.

At the last second, the Grimm Dragon dodges to the side. Hrunting scrapes against the underside of the dragon's scales, but ultimately flies past. Everyone is disheartened to see the blade miss its target, a look of desperation begins to take hold. That is until the blade makes a complete turn around and races towards the Grimm dragon without losing a hint of speed.

With no warning, the blade connects with the back of the dragon – ripping through its hardened scales like a starved animal. The blade relentlessly mauls across the folds of the dragon's wings. Sparks fly as the friction intensifies, resulting in an explosion that knocks the dragon out of the sky.

A behemoth falls from grace. With no possible method of sustaining its flight, its forced to crash against the barren earth. What remains of its tattered wing drags against the wind. A shockwave releases from the epicenter with enough force to knock anyone within its radius off their feet.

"Guys, it's not dead yet!"

Eyes of amber, filled with hunger to the very brim, pierce through the darkness.

A deafening roar takes over everyone's mind. Any thought that they try to muster is quickly overridden. Their focus is completely taken over by how to make this insufferable sound to stop. Anything to make it stop, its maddening to think that such a sound exists.

First, everyone's sight begins to blur; their consciousness starts to slip with every passing moment. Several black spots begin to form and darken their view. Everyone's balance falters, and one by one they each fall to the ground.

The vibration of the horrendous sound shakes their entire being, it's difficult to tell what's up and down as the world itself begin to shatter.

Pyrrha is one of the few that remain conscious to a certain degree, but she too staggers from her mount and falls to the ground. She isn't able to cushion her fall because her hands tightly press up against her ears in hopes of blocking out even an ounce of sound, but to no avail. There is still a ringing pulsating throughout her skull as it shakes uncontrollably.

However, that's when she realizes a dark energy begin to form off in the distance. Perched on top of one of the buildings it starts off as a small flicker, but as what seems to be a lifetime, it grows in size and ferocity. The dragon notices this, and limply turns over to the new development.

A man, donning a black kimono, faces against the dragon. As the beast growls at the enemy standing in front of it, the man raises his hand up towards his face. A dark energy forms in the palm of his hand and manifests across his face, resulting in a bone like mask manifesting

An eerily dark energy starts to form around the blade. It continues to build up in size, strength, and overall gives off a sinister sensation.

"Getsuga…." In an instant, all the built-up energy violently releases out in a flood. "…. Tenshou!"

The attack is heading straight towards the Grimm Dragon at tremendous speed. A demonic roar is heard as the attack tears across the sky, and makes its way towards its target.

Meanwhile, off to the side a different attack is being prepared.

Shirou, being able to resist the onslaught of noise, stands firm and strong. A trickle of blood begins to pour out from his ear, but despite that he continues. He once again materializes the black bow from before. His eyes scream ferocity as they hone in on his target. Gently, he raises the bow and begins a chant that is lost to all those around him.

"My core is twisted in madness."

Another legendary blade is pulled into existence, and yet again, Shirou notches the spiraled blade into the bow. The spiraled sword slowly morphs into a broken version of its former self. Sharp edges jut out from the shaft of the newly formed arrow.

"Caladbolg!"

The air cracks under the extreme pressure of the broken phantasm being released. A blast of wind pushes back anyone near Shirou. In an instant, the sword flies across the sky, leaving behind the sound of screeching metal and a vibrant red streak.

As both attacks soar towards their target with incredible speed, the Grimm dragon isn't left any room to escape. Its wounded; no longer being able to take flight, its left stranded with no option to escape. While still a threat in its own right, there's nothing from preventing its inevitable doom.

In a flash of miraculous light, the Grimm dragon is consumed by malignant energy. Slowly, its outer-shell begins to vanish into nothingness, following much of its torso, leaving only a skull. Through the shadow of energy can be seen two orbs of amber. The eyes of the dragon leave behind the impression of relentless hunger until they too vanish.

An unprecedented reaction between both attacks result in the mix of differing energies to mix and cause an explosion. The air begins to warm up so much to the point that it feels like the sun is out during a summer's day. A brisk breeze washes over everyone that is present, only to reveal that the beast is no more.

The deafening roar from before is gone, although there's still a painful ringing echoing throughout everyone. Slowly, but surely, everyone manages to recover, albeit a tad lazily.

It takes the better part of a minute before everyone is up and standing. Little by little, their hearing returns to normal. Things appear to calm down for the moment. That is until they hear a familiar voice screaming in the distance.

"Quickly, everyone! We must get away from the edge!"

In the distance is seen a crazed man with green hair accompanied by several students trailing behind him.

"Children! Over here!" Screams the rugged green-haired man.

"Doctor Oobleck? What is he still doing over here?" Asks Weiss.

One of the professors from Beacon academy, wearing a buttoned up white shirt with black pants, runs at full speed towards the group. To say the very least, he was there in an instant. Before anyone can react, he begins to go on a tangent.

"Ms. Nikos, Ms. Schnee, what are the two of you still doing here?"

"We're…" The Schnee heiress is quickly cut off.

"And what exactly is this thing?" The doctor appears on every side of the Grimm that Pyrrha is mounting. "This is a Gryffon, is it not? But, what are these flames? I have never seen anything like this in my life! Magnificent!" His quick speech is difficult to keep up with, however it's clear that his attention has been distracted.

"Doctor Oobleck!" Weiss yells. Fortunately, this snaps the doctor from his trance. His neck snaps upwards to catch Weiss' glare. "This isn't the time! Now, what exactly is happening? Why are you out here?"

Oobleck straightens his posture, and coughs into his hand. "Quite right, Ms. Schnee. Now, I'm afraid that things have taken a turn for the worse." A sullen gaze overtakes everyone. "The Grimm can be seen heading in our direction. Whatever that thing's roar did, it began to lure them in at an unprecedented rate. There could be numbers well in the thousands heading towards us at this very moment."

True to the doctor's word, in the distance can be seen several clusters of the aforementioned Grimm gathering together.

"What do you want us to do?"

"I'm afraid there's very little we can do. The majority of the dropships have already been evacuated, and what little remain are not enough to transport the remaining students. Even if we somehow managed to fit everyone on board it would be useless. We can only assume that every creature of Grimm that has been part of this invasion is on their way here, meaning that we have no room to escape."

"There has to be something we can do! This can't possibly be it!" Exclaims Weiss.

"Of course not, Ms. Schnee! For now, we must move the injured; the amphitheater will have to do for now. The other professors will most likely be attending to the damages and securing the citizens down in Vale before they're able to make their way up here."

"Can't you just tell them to hurry up?"

Everyone turns their heads towards the foreign voice. It's a man, albeit his demeanor makes him out to be a delinquent, wearing a black kimono that is tattered at the ends. In his hand is a blade the color of midnight. However, what makes him stand out is his brightly colored orange-hair.

"Well?" He asks for a response.

"No, young man. As you can see, the CCT tower has been destroyed," Doctor Oobleck points towards the top of the tower which is now missing," without it we can't communicate with anyone at any level." The doctor looks the stranger up and down once. "May I ask, who are you? You're not any of my students."

"The name is Ichigo. Ichigo Kurosaki. And, no, I'm not one of your "students." I just need to know where I am, and what this place is."

"Now, how did you end up in Beacon without knowing where you were?"

Ichigo looks around; he searches for anything familiar, anything at all. Then, he looks at the doctor more carefully, until extending his gaze over to the students. His standard scowl doesn't vanish, however a hint of intrigue is added.

"What are you?" Asks Ichigo.

"That's an odd way of phrasing it, but I'm one of the many instructors to these Huntsmen-in-training." Oobleck motions towards the others around him.

Ichigo's eyes widen in shock. Only now has he been able to surmise that he is in unfamiliar territories.

"Now, enough of that. We have to transport the injured into the inner part of the academy." Without wasting a beat, the doctor makes his way to further secure further up ahead. He stops, only to give a sideways glance behind him. "However, before I forget, we will have a discussion of what exactly you, and that boy," Oobleck motions towards Shirou, "did to that dragon." He continues forwards.

"Wait! Dr. Oobleck, Ruby is still up on the tower by herself! We can't just leave her!" Exclaims Weiss.

He pauses for a brief period, however he does not turn around to address the young heiress.

"Not to worry, Ms. Schnee. I will ensure the safety of Ms. Rose, as well as every other student. Not a single one shall perish under my watch this night."

He continues his march forwards, with his eyes set at the very top of Beacon Tower.

The remaining group is left in silence. Everyone stares at Ichigo's direction, confusion permeates through the air as to what exactly Dr. Oobleck was mentioning.

"Come on, guys. We need to help everyone that's left behind. There'll be time to talk about this later." The sound of reason echoes with Pyrrha's words.

She was right. At this moment, the only thing that matters is getting everyone to safety, and right now this was their only option. Everyone look around, and nods in a silent agreement.

One by one, they all start to head towards the docking area. It isn't long before they catch sight of the remaining students. Pyrrha rides up in a hurry while Weiss runs to catch up with her.

The surrounding area is distraught with ruin. It's clear to everyone of the fullest extent of the battle that has taken place. Many of the academy's buildings have been been completely destroyed. Some are still burning down to ash. However, it isn't long before they encounter the injured.

"Blake! Yang!" Weiss yells out.

In front of her is a group of injured students, all of differing conditions. Many appear to be on the verge of passing out completely, while others are simply suffering from exhaustion. Then, there are the critical cases. Stab and claw wounds, many appear superficial while others are clearly life threatening. Moans of suffering permeate throughout the makeshift infirmary.

However, two stand out from the rest. The yellow brawler, Yang Xiao Long and the black shadow, Blake Belladonna, lay exhausted on the ground. For the most part the two appear unharmed except for Blake, who is still recovering from her encounter with Adam.

"Weiss?" Yang gets up and asks timidly, as if she is unsure whether or not to get her hopes up.

The instant she realizes that it truly is her friend, she rushes at her, and embraces her.

"You had me so worried! I didn't think you'd have come back." Yang releases her grasp on the young heiress, only to realize that someone is missing. "Weiss, where's Ruby?"

The color in Weiss' face drains. She is unsure of how to answer the question without angering Yang. However, it is already too late, as shades of red wash over Yang's iris'.

"Calm down, Yang. She's still on top of the tower, but Dr. Oobleck-"

"You what?!"

Hysteria takes over the older sister of the scarlet-reaper.

"You-You just left her? Why didn't you go with her?!"

Maintaining an air of calmness around her, Weiss attempts to reason with Yang, or at the very least attempt to calm her down to a degree.

"Yang, we're going for her right now, but everyone here can't be here."

"Then, come on! We can't wait around."

Without waiting for a response, Yang runs in a panic towards the tower, leaving behind a dumbfounded Weiss that is forced to follow.

"Everyone!" Pyrrha's commanding voice cuts through to everyone. She rides up with her Gryffon towards the front of the gathered students. "This place isn't safe anymore. We must evacuate to the inner parts of the academy. There's only a matter of time until-"

Before she is able to finish her thought. Pyrrha looks up towards the sky, only to be met with a look of confusion from those she was addressing. Eventually, those gathered at the docking platforms realizes what caught her attention. It was the Grimm, more precisely how close they were.

Screams of terror fill the night sky, as many start to run away from the incoming attack.

With the horde of Grimm making their way towards the academy, it is impossible to distinguish any form of logic in the fleeing crowd. Only the flying variants can be seen in the distance, but if they are making their way here then that can only mean that even the ground variants will be arriving shortly.

"Come on. We have to hold them off," exclaims Shirou.

Ichigo nods in agreement. Without waiting for the others to join, the two stride towards the edge. Ichigo rests his blade against his shoulder as he lazily holds it. Long strips of platform are all that are separating them from plummeting to their death in the shallow waters below the cliff.

The first wave of Grimm arrive at the landing platforms. Their presence sends the remaining students into a panic. The sheer amount of them is unimaginable,yet there are still more coming right after. Those lagging behind in the evacuation quickly pick up their pace as they retreat farther into the academy.

Determination is spread across Shirou's face as he prepares himself for the impending horde.

Already, Ichigo steadily defends the forefront, and prevent any Grimm from passing through their makeshift defense. However, it isn't long before several begin to slip passed, and head straight towards the fleeing students. Neither of the two is left with much choice else they run the risk of letting an even larger amount to ravage their way through.

As the first Grimm approaches an unsuspecting student, flames of crimson consume it in its entirety. Above the group can be seen a distinguishable figure. A pair of fiery wings pierce the skies, as an onslaught of fire rains down on the invading force.

Suddenly, screams of panic are heard from the students. Quickly, turning around it is seen to be a Beowolf; however, there is a certain characteristic that makes it stand out from all the rest. The entirety of its body is covered in blue flames, the same of which belong to the one on top of the Grimm. Rin rides in on another seemingly impossible thing to control, but despite it, nevertheless.

As the sky darkens from the mass of Grimm gathering in the distant, the four warriors stand unwavering. Their past has refined them into what they are now. Nothing will deter them from doing what they believe is right. Each fights for differing reasons, not one of them is the same, however it still brings them together despite it.

Then, a chant begins.

 _ **I am the bone of my sword.**_

 _ **Steel is my body, and fire is my blood.**_

Shirou holds out his right arm with an outstretched palm. He grips his forearms with his remaining hand. Standing completely still, he doesn't move an inch despite the surrounding Grimm getting dangerously close to him.

Ichigo and Rin manage to hold off any of the oncoming Grimm that try to attack Shirou, but like everyone else knows it's only a matter of time before they all get surrounded. Shana files off into the thick of things, and mercilessly destroys the swathes of Grimm pursuing her.

A sinister energy, demonic blue flames, and blazing crimson fire light the night sky.

"What do they think they're doing?!" Weiss yells out as she retrieves her blade from the corpse of a Beowolf. "They're going to get themselves killed out there!"

She isn't wrong. The two of them strayed away from the group and are too far ahead for anybody to reach them.

 _ **I have created over a thousand blades.**_

Again, Shirou simply stands there. His face is twisted in pain.

 _ **Unaware of beginning,**_

 _ **Nor aware of the end.**_

As Pyrrha looks around, she's the only paying any attention to what Shirou is saying. Everyone else is busy fending off the Grimm while protecting the injured. Everyone is currently trapped between a rock and a hard place. The mass of the flying variants of Grimm will be arriving from the sky in any moment.

 _ **Withstood pain with inconsistent weapons, my hands will never hold anything.**_

 _ **Yet, my flame never ends.**_

 _ **My whole body was still Unlimited Blade Works.**_

A blinding light erupts from Shirou. Pyrrha quickly looks away while raising her arm up to block the flash of light. What happens next is a mystery to everyone as a chill of cold air blows past. The temperature significantly drops. Pyrrha's body begins to shiver, and as she slowly opens her eyes open she is greeted by snow.

A tiny fleck of ice drifts past her, and behind it is followed by another. One by one, they all continuously fall gently past me.

She extends her field of view outwards only to find that everything has changed. They're no longer at Beacon, but rather, in a desert. The ground beneath her is solid albeit covered by a thin layer of snow.

A shiver is sent up and down her spine as a strong gust of wind blows past her to reveal shards of metal sticking out of the ground. Swords. There are swords of all stripes protruding from the ground. A land of infinite swords.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, it sure has been a while, guys. It certainly isn't because I started reading a million-word fic on this site, went through an entire season of marching band, and am also focusing on maintaining above average grades in school. Psshh. Aside from that I had a chance to go watch** _ **Fate/Stay Night: Heaven's Feel**_ **, and can I say that it was amazing. I might try to take some elements from the film and add them here, or I may not, that's still up in the air. Anyway, I hope that I've been able to deliver with this chapter due to the long wait.**

 **Something that I really struggled while writing this chapter is not being able to connect ideas. I basically had the ending ready when I first started writing, but there was no beginning and that was disastrous. It might seem that I just threw a bunch of random ideas together and hoped they would work. So, I would truly appreciate knowing how well this chapter compares to the others.**

 **I was wary on having** _ **Unlimited Blade Works**_ **this early in the story, but the more I thought about it, the better of an idea it seemed. This story will hopefully continue for a good while, and it's not as if Shirou is the only one with an ace up his sleeve. That and I wanted to make clear which version of Shirou I am using, and yes, it is the one from Fate/Kaleid. This is going to play a bigger part later. As of writing this, I know what happens in the movie, and luckily it doesn't interfere with what I had planned. In fact, it has given me some ideas on how to continue from here on out.**

 **Hopefully, by next chapter, I will be able to wrap up the Battle of Beacon and be able to move onto the aftermath. This should lead to character interaction instead of poorly written out fight scenes.**

 **Reviews**

 **superpierce: That I didn't know. It's a nice little surprise.**

 **Dark demon619: Hopefully, I'll be able to write a chapter with just Ichigo, Rin, Shirou, and Shana interacting. This will hopefully join them together as a team before they go off to get to know the rest of the RWBY cast. But, yes, Cinder was on the edge of sealing her fate if she had gone any further.**

 **furukawa023: That's one of the reasons Shirou will act as the voice of reason for Ichigo in later chapters, but this doesn't mean that Shirou will always be right.**

 **The Rupture: Scaling characters by strength will always be tricky; in my opinion a fight should be decided upon technique unless the gap between the two fighters is painstakingly obvious. Yes, I agree that Shirou has not shown his full capabilities, however I don't want to write off Cinder as being helpless against any of the new characters introduced. Which is why I had Cinder able to shatter Kanshou with an attack that was meant to kill Pyrrha. Then, I had Bakuya tear through solid stone for what I can only assume is several hundred feet, only to have it shatter after landing. This is to show the possible strength and literal firepower at Cinder's disposal. I will not allow her to become fodder for everyone else. I apologize to everyone if I didn't make my intentions clear enough, and I will make sure to be better next time.**


	5. End of the Night

**Disclaimer: I own none of the properties displayed in this story. Each individual character belongs to their respective owners.**

* * *

"What is this…?" Asks a battered Weiss.

The surrounding area is desolate, whatever it was that just happened causes everyone's location to shift radically. Suddenly, the Grimm appear to be much further back than what they once were. As well with the others that were defending the forefront; Ichigo, Rin, and Shana appear rather startled having appeared next to the group.

Everyone waits for an answer to the question presented. They look towards Shirou who stands at the front of everything. With his back turned to everyone, he calmly looks towards the vast horizon of the snow-ridden desert.

"This is the only magic allowed to Emiya Shirou." The breeze in this desolate world gradually continues to build up. "Think of this as a culmination of replicas, however even this is a bastardized version of what it could truly be. I can't claim to be the sole owner of this, but, still, it is the representation of my soul. This is my Unlimited Blade Works."

Without another word, a new blade materializes in the palm of his hand. It is very different when compared to the ones from before. In his tight grip is a scarlet long-sword, its name is Aestus Estus: The Original Flame.

"Now, let's go. We won't have much time!" With a flick of his wrist, the crimson blade lights on fire. Shirou rushes forward towards a raging blizzard which would become his battlefield in order to meet the oncoming Grimm that have wasted no time in finding their prey.

From the spot that Shirou stood, there is a small trail of blood leading towards him. It's clear to everyone present that this magic he claims to be his has its deficits. However, before anyone can think of stopping him, a shadow creeps over everyone. As they look above, they find the source which blocks what little light there was. In the sky can be found a myriad of weapons flying overhead. It is impossible to distinguish one from another, nonetheless, it is clear from their surroundings the purpose of this attack.

The astounded and incredulous gazes that spread throughout the young group of Huntsmen is painstakingly obvious.

"This isn't possible." States Yang without tearing her eyes away from the impossible sight. "Just what are you guys?"

Before her question can be answered, a flurry of crimson flames erupts from Shana as she takes flight. Likewise, a dark energy surrounds Ichigo before he leaps forwards to meet the opposing forces. It's difficult to distinguish where exactly either of them is located, however, there's a faint glimpse of the aura surrounding them that stands out in the raging storm of this world.

Everyone snaps out of their amazement. They are still confused as to what to do as an impending force is soon approaching.

"I don't know who they are, but there's one thing I know for sure." Rin walks forwards with his sword resting on his shoulder. "They're people that are doing what they think is right."

With that he brings his blade down to his side and runs towards the wave of Grimm, leaving behind a trail of blue flames in his path. Just like the others before him, he disappears in the storm before everyone else.

The first wave of Grimm is quickly cut down from the sky as a hail of iron and steel rips straight through them. The creatures of Grimm recognize the oncoming storm of blades as a threat and begin to scatter; covering a wide area as to avoid any damage. However, there isn't a single place they can escape to in this infinite world. Still, it is too late for those caught in the middle. Huge sections of the horde are all but wiped out. As the dissolving bodies of the Grimm begin to fall out of the sky, many opt to take on a more defensive approach.

Several Nevermore stop to a halt and use the immense strength of their wings to shoot forward several deadly shards of feathers that are able to cut through steel. While it proves very ineffective in halting the endless barrage of swords, it creates an opening wide enough for a majority of the Grimm to pass through. However, it isn't long before the Nevermores' are cut down as well.

A variety of weapons rip through the tough hide of the Grimm. While several of the swords are identical to one another, there are several varieties of weapons among them; ranging from different cultures and ages. However, it is the stronger ones that appear unique in their own way. Though it is relatively pointless as only a small handful of ordinary blades appear to have no effect against the enemy.

While the majority of the Grimm is composed entirely of the flying variants such as the Gryffons and Nevermore, there are still several ground variants; of which blitz straight towards the young group of Huntsmen.

A random student asks, "What should we do?"

"Is there anything we can do?"

This is the general consensus of the group as they are stunned in awe.

As the hail of swords rains down on the enemy, there were many Grimm that sought to escape the onslaught. Those that were clever enough to sneak their way past the first barrage of steel simply found themselves up against a different attacker. In this case, it was either a wave of fiery crimson flames that burns at a beings' very existence or a dark, evil energy that dominates anything it touches.

While Ichigo and Shana corner the flying Grimm, Rin and Shirou contend to the ground variants. While not equalling the vast amount that flew towards Beacon, their numbers are no laughing matter. After slashing their way deeper into the hostile swarm of Grimm, the two are able to form a defensive line with them being the bait. Shirou and Rin stand back to back as they attack each incoming Grimm.

Blasts of blue flames erupt from the point of Rin's blade, Kurikara. Once hit, the targetted Grimm would begin to severely burn away and, in most cases, wouldn't have any chance of reaching the two. However, once the opportunity arose, Rin would take control of certain Grimm and force them to attack the ones around it. This eventually leads to the controlled Grimm to be taken out. However, during the entire duration, most of the Grimm close the gap between the two until it was subsequently attacked and destroyed. Strike after strike, the Grimm would fall, allowing those rushing behind it to close in.

Shirou, on the other hand, weaves through each enemy as soon as they approach. His blade Aestus Estus is coated with a burning flame. With the extended length of the blade, Shirou manages to cut through several Grimm in one fell swoop. However, whenever his guard is left open to an incoming Grimm, Shirou is able to form several ordinary blades around him and once they are fully structuralized they would shoot forth at a rapid speed.

The battle appears to have only just started, however it is clear at this moment that it will soon end. As the crescent moon in a land of unlimited swords begins to wane, the battle is continuously hard fought. Realizing this, Shirou calls out to Rin.

"Cover me for a moment!"

Without turning around to address him, Rin replies in earnest.

"You got it!"

After dealing with the Grimm currently attacking him, Rin takes hold of his sword with both hands and points it downwards. With a great deal of strength within him, he stabs Kurikara into the ground. Immediately, several explosions go off around the two which manage to destroy the Grimm in close proximity to them. Blue flames threaten to destroy anything it touches. The added bonus of the explosions is the confusion that it sends the Grimm into. What already was a difficult terrain to be seen in becomes impossible.

With one final push, Shirou concentrates on calling upon every sword still implanted in the ground. Simultaneously, they all begin to slightly vibrate until an invisible force unearths each individual sword. Then, as a single unit, each blade points upwards and without any other delay they shoot upwards – stabbing through each and every Grimm in its path. The sound that emits from this attack is similar to that of an entire legion of archers firing waves of arrow upon an army.

The group of Huntsmen that have found themselves caught in the middle of this battle huddle together for protection and out of fear of being hit. However, there was never any real harm to them. Any projectile that found itself nearing the group would instantly change direction. The same goes for any attack from the Grimm that would have hit the group, instead a rogue blade would destroy the attack right before reaching the Huntsmen.

In all reality, this move took only a matter of seconds, but to everyone witnessing this event, it appeared to go on for an eternity. To face something this impossible is astonishing enough, but to see the potential it has is mind-boggling.

Masses of black shadows litter the air as the Grimm subsequently dissolve into nothing.

Likewise, Ichigo and Shana halt their attack and allow Shirou to continue with his idea. The flow of swords adapted to allow for the two to move freely so long as they stayed clear of the enemy.

Again, it all lasted for a few seconds and the nightmarish amount of Grimm that had arrived to snuff out the last remaining Huntsmen were foiled. The sky and ground are free of them all.

It's at this moment that the crescent moon vanishes from view.

Once again, just as it was created, a flash of intense light emerges from Shirou. It further expands outwards until it claims everything in existence in this world. The wind rushes past everyone as they shut their eyes in order to avoid being blinded. White overtakes everything, and for a brief moment it feels as though nothing existed; as if there was nothing more than an endless void. Then, after a bit of time passes, everyone cautiously begins to open their eyes again, and to their relief, they find themselves back at Beacon.

It's still nighttime. The surrounding air begins to warm up the frigid group. No one speaks a word, they can only look at each other in disbelief as they slowly come to terms as to what happened. It isn't too much to say that this experience has severely altered their way of understanding of things.

It's silent. Only the burning surroundings fill their ears. Everyone is slightly hesitant about moving an inch. They're afraid the second they move that the battle will begin once again.

Once the initial phase of disbelief passes a sudden uproar of confusion and amazement overtakes the group as they celebrate their victory. They are able to let out a sigh of relief.

Further, up ahead of the group, an exhausted Shirou stumbles backward as he violently coughs up blood. Before too long, Ichigo appears next to Shirou and helps him regain his balance.

"Thanks. I'll be alright for now. I just need to lie down for a bit." Shirou exclaims.

Slowly, Ichigo lowers Shirou onto the ground to rest. A groan escapes from Shirou as he attempts to adjust himself to a sitting position. Again, another spout of blood is coughed up. As he moves to wipe off any remaining blood from his lips with his arm, the group of Huntsmen quickly gather around.

"That was an interesting move you pulled," compliments Ichigo.

"It felt a bit rushed out, but it worked nonetheless," Shirou replies.

The first to reach the two is Pyrrha, who is still atop of the blue-flamed Gryffon. Once she reaches her destination, she stops with a look of shock spread across her face. Eventually, the rest of the Huntsmen, along with Rin and Shana, made their way towards the two.

They all circle around Shirou with looks of worry and hesitation. As he himself looks up at them, he sees a few frightened looks of terror; however, there is no sense of animosity towards him. All he can do to react to the situation is let a pained smile form. He knows that what he had just done is most likely something they have never witnessed, it is something past their comprehension as well. Fear is an appropriate response to the situation, so he did not find them at fault.

"I guess you all have some questions for me. Trust me I have some myself, but I don't think I'm in any condition to answer them right away," says an exhausted Shirou.

"He's right." The Flame Haze, Shana speaks up from the crowd. "We need to take him to the rest of the injured and tend to their wounds."

After shifting himself up a bit, Shirou's gaze reaches Beacon tower and his eyes begin to fill with concern. Despite everyone protesting that he lay down until someone could look after his injuries, he refuses and manages to sluggishly stand back up. Once more, he summons the same black bow as before.

Everyone grows concerned. They are unsure as to what Shirou intends to do. As they attempt to match his gaze and look for the target in question, they draw a blank as no one is able to spot what he had seen.

Soon, he is bombarded with questions as to why he wouldn't listen, and in all reality, he didn't pay them any attention. His goal is set. As he narrows his eyes, a plain arrow appears in his free hand. With fatigue quickly overtaking him, he notches the arrow into the bow and releases his grip. A blast of wind is let loose in a fury. Once Shirou is sure that the arrow will reach its destination, he collapses on the ground while breathing heavily.

* * *

Cinder Fall, the newest Fall Maiden, slowly begins to regain consciousness after her battle with the Flame Haze, Shana. A moan of pain escapes her lips as she realizes the still healing gash on her back. Fortunately for her, the fullest extent of the damage has been dealt with in a relatively short period of time. Although the wound itself is still fresh, there isn't much else preventing Cinder from picking herself up. It is a struggle as her muscles struggle to keep her from slamming down onto the floor again.

As she pulls herself up, her vision blurs for a moment. She grasps her forehead with her right hand while attempting to balance herself with the other. There is still much physical damage done to her body that won't allow her to fully recover anytime soon, nonetheless, she still has reserves of magical potential that will allow her to do most of anything. It doesn't take long for her brief period of drowsiness to subside, once she regains her senses, she looks out towards the distance to witness the current situation. However, what she finds surprises even her.

In front of her is the young scarlet-reaper, Ruby Rose, who is staring at the distant docks while leaning against a broken pillar. She is mesmerized by what she just witnessed; nothing can properly describe what she had just seen. It is because of this state of awe that she doesn't realize the newly awakened presence behind her.

Hate begins to fill Cinder's being. Her sole purpose at this very moment is to destroy the young Huntress-to-be with everything at her disposal. Anybody that attempts to stand against her seeks death and Cinder is all too glad to provide it.

Her eyes burn brightly with fire as a glass blade begins to form in her hand. She gingerly raises it above her head and relishes this moment. Although the Huntsman attempted to procure their precious academy, it is all for naught, this would be a testament to their failure. Or so she thought.

Something tears through the air, pushing everything in its path to side, creating a torrent of wind. It flies past inches away from Ruby, causing her to snap out of her daze, and strikes at Cinder's shoulder. An arrow. A plain, ordinary iron-arrow penetrates Cinder, and flies straight through her, tearing a hole in her body. She loses control of her arm and precariously drops the glass sword. She screams in pain before falling to the floor once again. Blood profusely drips from Cinder's shoulder as she experiences the entirety of the excruciating pain.

Ruby turns around only to find a wounded Cinder. She herself is in shock as to what just happened.

* * *

"What was that for?!" Weiss asks hysterically.

The crowd around Shirou stare at him blankly. Only Weiss and Pyrrha understood what he could have been aiming at; however, to take a shot from this distance seems impossible.

"There-" Shirou goes into a coughing fit "-was someone up there."

The sudden realization hits Weiss like a truck. Her eyes widen as she makes her way towards Shirou and kneels down beside him. Holding him up, she looks him straight in the eye.

"What did you see up there? Who did you just hit?!"

Panic steadily grows in her voice. The uncertainty of not knowing gnaws at her.

Shirou turns his head to the side and once again is forced to cough up a portion of blood before being able to speak.

"The one that I fought on top of the tower... She was about to attack somebody else..."

The group looks at one another, trying to figure out who he could be referring to. To everyone else, the top of the tower was destroyed by the dragon along with everything inside.

Then, however, with a sullen voice, Pyrrha states who it was, "Cinder."

"Wait, what about Ruby?" Weiss locks her gaze with Shirou's." Hey, hey, don't pass out on me now!"

Weiss is left to hold up Shirou's dead weight as he further loses consciousness. Slowly, she lowers him down to rest. Although rather displeased, she accepts the fact that there isn't much use in the matter at this point.

"Get him to the other wounded and have injuries looked over immediately," Shana orders Weiss to carry out this task.

However, Weiss looks at Shana with an incredulous look. It wasn't so much as to what she had been told, but rather because she is visibly upset that Ruby is still stranded on top of the tower. She figures that above anyone else that she would be the first to go after her partner. The last thing she expects is for someone to order her to play the support role when she clearly had to take action.

"You can't expect me to step down and not go after my friend?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I expect you to do unless you want him to die." Shana's lack of emotion in her voice is eery. Despite fighting to seemingly protect everyone here, she doesn't appear all too concerned. However, the truth of the matter remains, that without some form of treatment, Shirou would not last much longer or at the very least receive long-term damage.

Weiss begrudgingly takes what the Flame Haze says to heart. It irks her that she'll have to listen to someone who appears much younger than herself, but she accepts that this is the most efficient method of handling the task at hand.

"We should find Doctor Oobleck or one of the other professors," exclaims Pyrrha. "They'll have a better idea of what to do from here."

"Oobleck did say he was going to look for Ruby," states Weiss. "It would be beneficial to find either of them."

"Okay." Yang locks her fist into the palm of her other hand. With a new look of determination in her eyes, she asks, "Who else is going up there?"

Yang looks over the rest of the group, that of which wasn't already too wounded to continue. However, there weren't too many available options. For one, the wounded still need to be escorted to the Amphitheater to have their injuries treated. Then, there were those that are simply too exhausted. If a fight were to break out then they'd only put themselves in danger.

"I'll be going," states Pyrrha. "I have to see this to the end even if I'm not able to do much in my current position." She grimaces as the pain in her heel continues to hinder her movement.

"If that's the case," exclaims the blue-flamed Rin, "I'll go too."

Rin understands that the connection he's made with the Grimm Pyrrha's riding is unstable. This is the first time he's ever seen one, let alone try to control one. While not completely different from lesser-demons, the Grimm are fundamentally different on every level.

"There's something up there that requires my attention, so I'll be heading there as well," states Shana.

With no other volunteers making themselves heard, the decision to go is settled on.

"Alright. Let's hurry and find a way up there before it's too late." Yang states.

Before waiting for confirmation from anyone else, Yang begins to march towards Beacon tower. With her determination set, there isn't anything that will stop her from reaching her goal. Except for one small detail.

"Yang!" Pyrrha screams.

The golden brawler has already made a distance of a few hundred feet between her and the group before stopping. Yang turns around only to find that Pyrrha has taken the liberty of riding up to her.

"Pyrrha, we can't waste any time. We need to get up there." Yang retorts.

"Yes, you're right. But, the elevator leading to the top has been destroyed. It will take forever for us to scale that height by foot."

"Then, what are you suggesting we do?"

Without uttering another word, Pyrrha shifts the Gryffon forwards in order to be sideways in relation to Yang, who gives her friend a quizzical look.

* * *

Ruby stands at the top of Beacon tower – conflicted as to what to do. Before her is a distraught Cinder. She entertains the thought of just leaving her there to suffer for a moment, however, she knows better. The young scarlet-reaper can't afford to underestimate her opponent, but just how is she meant to handle this situation? Cinder is already defeated, there isn't much else to do now, but to just knock her out for the moment.

She's still dangerous. These are the words that Ruby continues to repeat to herself as she reaches for Crescent Rose. But, she can't imagine herself attacking someone who's already down. Despite what Cinder's done tonight, it doesn't change the fact that she's still a person. She isn't like the Grimm that just destroy without thinking, right? Perhaps that's the only distinction; the ability to decide. However, that doesn't seem right either. Cinder has most definitely killed others before; but, which is worse, to kill by instinct or decision?

Ruby checks her remaining ammunition. There isn't much left at this point with the current magazine, however, it'll have to do. She brings up Crescent Rose, in its scythe mode, and swings her weapon down so that it digs into the ground. The end of the barrel is directed towards Cinder, unaware of Ruby's intentions, still writhing in pain.

She takes a moment to think things over again before continuing. However, even she can't find any other way around it. Before she can find her resolve, a loud thump is heard followed by the sound of Cinder collapsing onto the ground. Ruby is frightened for a moment until she looks up. In front of her is one of the professors garbed in his usual work attire with vibrant green hair that is impossible to miss. In his hand is his thermal turned weapon hanging over his shoulder.

"Proff-"

"It is Doctor, Ms. Rose. I understand we are in the middle of a crisis but do please remember your manners."

Doctor Oobleck quickly makes his way towards Ruby and walks her away from the edge.

"Are you alright, Ms. Rose?"

"Y-Yes! It's just that today has been anything but normal."

"Why, yes. You're quite right. However, we must meet the expectations of the day regardless if we're ready or not." Oobleck gazes over towards Cinder. "So, this is her?"

"It looks like she was behind everything. But, I don't know how or why."

"That is quite alright. I expect you'll be informed of what exactly happened today as well as the others."

Oobleck kneels down next to Cinder in order to check her vitals. It isn't until now that he's able to get a better look at the full extent of the damage. His expression doesn't change throughout; however, he freezes once he sees the damage on her right shoulder. Indeed, it is slightly horrifying to look at. It's a miracle that she hasn't lost the arm entirely at this point with what little there is connecting it to her body.

"Can you tell me exactly happened here, Ms. Rose?"

"I-I-"

Before she is able to respond, the flapping of wings suddenly grows. As the two turn towards the edge to find the cause of it, they are met with a Gryffon covered in blue flames. Both react accordingly – drawing their weapons forth and aiming it at the newest threat. The heat emanating from it isn't as strong as one would think; however, it's still a threat nonetheless. But, before either of the two are able to fire off a single shot, a pair of fiery crimson wings lands to their right on the edge of the tower.

Oobleck and Ruby take several steps back as they access the newly formed situation. Their fingers' gingerly hold the trigger of their respective weapons – ready to fire.

When the Gryffon gets enough footing on top of the tower a blonde head of hair peeks out from behind the Grimm.

"Yang?" Ruby asks confused.

Without wasting a moment, Yang instantaneously rushes towards her younger sister. With the strength of several men, she bear-hugs Ruby while unintentionally suffocating her for a good minute. Once letting go of her she grabs hold of Ruby's shoulders.

"Are you okay, Ruby? Did anything happen to you?" Asks Yang with a worried look in her eyes.

"I-I'm fine, Yang!" Ruby states, still in a bit of a stun. "You can get off of me now, you know..."

It isn't until now that the golden brawler realizes that she has, for the most part, been pinning her beloved sister down to the floor. Quickly, Yang releases her grip on Ruby which allows both of them to stand up. Still, after her initial fear, Yang can't help but let out a sigh of relief which quickly turns into a confident grin.

"I should've known my little sis' could take care of herself. Still..." Yang bonks Ruby on the head, "...Don't run off by yourself and think you can handle everything."

Ruby covers the top of her head with both of her hands. She slightly massages the hit while looking up at her sister.

"You're one to talk you know," Ruby silently says under her breath with a pout.

Luckily, this comeback goes unheard by the golden brawler.

Furthermore, a more pressing matter is glaring at the group. The first to take charge is both Shana and Doctor Oobleck. They both approach the unconscious Fall Maiden, Cinder. At a first glance, they determine the severity of the damage she's taken. The loss of blood is nauseating even to a blood hardened Huntsman such as Oobleck, however, he knows that action must be taken at this moment.

"What is she?" Asks Shana as she pulls out her blade out from her midnight cloak. Her eyes are piercing daggers as she awaits a response.

Oobleck continues to inspect Cinder, not bothering to look up at the Flame Haze as he answers her, "She, from what I understand, is simply someone that attempted to get too much power for herself."

"That's not what I meant," Shana interjects. "She's not normal, or rather, she isn't like the rest of you. There's something inside her that's obviously foreign."

It is at this moment that caught Oobleck truly by surprise. He stops to confirm the seriousness of Shana's statement. A long moment passes before he confirms for himself that she knows something about the Maidens' and their powers; how much about them, he isn't sure. Nonetheless, now is not the moment for a heated discussion over what should be confidential information.

"What are we going to do with her?" Pyrrha asks.

Doctor Oobleck takes a moment to think about the situation. A moment passes before he makes a move to indicate a decision.

"I believe, if it is remotely possible at this point, that the original plan should continue."

The group of Huntsmen, as well as the newcomers, look at one another with confusion.

"You don't mean…"

"Yes, Ms. Nikos. If the machinery is still intact, then we will proceed with the transfer of the Maiden powers. That is if you are still prepared to take on this burden."

Oobleck looks Pyrrha directly in the eyes. He is fully prepared to have her reject the notion and stray away. However, just as he and the other professors know all too well, Pyrrha Nikos is not one to deny an act of selflessness.

Pyrrha stares back, only to see her own reflection in the Doctor's glasses. What she sees is herself, battle-worn and disheveled. Today would have ended much differently if she had taken on Cinder by herself, just as she had intended. Although, this isn't something she can reject. She must continue to strive forwards. If not, then today will have been for nothing.

With renewed vigor, she affirms her stance and with a voice that resonates confidence she says, "I'm ready."

* * *

 **A/N: Let me start off by saying, that I'm truly grateful for all you that have followed, favorited or left reviews on my story. It truly brightens up my day to see when someone is interested in this story. Once again, allow me to reiterate, thank you.**

 **On another note, if any of you are ever interested in knowing how far along I am on the chapter, I try to update my profile showing how long until it is finished.**

 **Now, I'm not entirely proud of my writing in this chapter. It definitely could've been better, however, it's been a while since the last update and instead of mulling over the fact I've decided to post what I have. I believe it would be best to continue along with the story and to learn from my mistakes in this chapter.**

 **So, for all intents and purposes, the Battle of Beacon has concluded. Now, it's time to deal with the aftermath; however, before that, we must take a little trip to the vault. Then, the story can really go into depth with character interactions, which is something I've personally been looking forward to.**

 **I can't give a set date as to when the next chapter will be released, however, I'm confident that the story will be going on.**

 **With the end of Vol.5, I've had to rethink some of my plans. But, I don't believe it will matter too much in the grand scheme of things when I start straying further away from the canon.**

 **Reviews**

 **TimeDiver: Truly, Shirou will be out for the count for a while, but there's more to come from him in the future.**

 **AmethystPone: Cinder has merit to her abilities even without the Maiden's power. Her true strength (in my opinion) is deception, and once that was gone she lost much of her influence. Although, I have to agree with you on the power scaling issue. There isn't much in the RWBYverse that can stand against anything that has been introduced so far. Don't worry about it too much about it, I have some things planned where pure strength alone won't be able enough.**

 **mx2432: The reason I decided to use Unlimited Blade Works early on in the story is simply that I have introduced four new characters into Remnant, each with their individual skills/ abilities, and I wanted to spread out the top-tier attacks throughout so one doesn't overshadow the other. The class cards, on the other hand, won't play that big of a role in the story, however, something connected to them will.**

 **DPSS: That's a secret for a later chapter.**

 **Greer123: I am doing well and part of it has to do with knowing that there are people I can write for that enjoy my writing.**

 **SilentXD7: Yes. They will all grow stronger as the story progresses; each in their own way. For all intents and purposes, they are now a team whether they acknowledge it or not.**

 **Rankin de Merthyr: I have plans for some romance, but it has to build up to that. I'm not going to pull out a love potion out of nowhere, at least not for anything serious. So far, I have a few relationships planned out, however, I want the characters to connect more as a family than anything else. Except there will be one couple that will be purely romantic, but the story will not revolve around that. It will be there; I'll even dedicate some chapters to it but it won't overtake the original plot.**

 **I sincerely enjoyed this review because at first, I had intended for Weiss to be a side-character, but you do bring up a valid point. Although this Shirou never interacted with Rin (to the best of my knowledge), it would make sense for those two to have some sort of dynamic. It gave me something to think about, that's for sure.**

 **SnapDragon21: Trust me, I was tempted to kill off Cinder a long time ago. However, as I implied in this chapter, she has a role to play first.**


	6. Revelations

**A/N: Before I start, I want to let you guys know that I've created two polls pertaining to this story. I want to gauge my audience and see where you all want the story to head. Which is why this is at the beginning this time.**

 **It's been a while, guys. School and the stress that comes along with it has been the main contributor to such a late chapter (again). It looks like this update schedule is going to remain the same for a while, unfortunately. However, enough of that – onto the story.**

 **My own personal complaint this chapter is that it is more like an info dump than anything else and I didn't get to the interactions I wanted. I don't know if I should try doing time jumps and if I do how long of intervals to do them at. Maybe I should dedicate an entire chapter to each character to really go into depth, I'll have to ponder that for a bit.**

 **So, things will be slowing down for a bit. I decided to start the story at a climactic point in order to establish that yes they will appearing and to have a sense of their power set.**

 **Reviews**

 **SilentXD7: Yeah, I'd say that Ichigo outclasses the rest of the group in terms of strength and raw power, but in terms of skills/versatility the results change. I won't go into depth now why that is because it would be nitpicking the smaller details.**

 **Greer123: I decided to have Shirou as injured as he was because this iteration of him appears to be more of a glass-cannon because of the lack of a class-card. That isn't to say that the others can't be injured, but rather it would be much more difficult.**

 **Strife666: Yes! I've been wondering who would guess the team name for a while. I only left one clue throughout the few chapters, so far. Usually, whenever I mentioned our four characters, I would purposely name them in a certain order and I'm glad someone figured it out.**

 **Animan10: I decided to use Prisma Shirou for a few reasons – some not as important as others. The first and least important reason is that I liked the idea of a different variation of Unlimited Blade Works. I know why it is how it appears and I will incorporate it into the story along the line. Secondly, because I don't particularly like the Emiya Shirou from UBW since his character falls kind of flat in my opinion; mainly due to the fact that he is completely willing to die for a complete stranger. I know that the way I have written Prisma Shirou so far contradicts what I just said, but it will play a big part later on. Plus, I'd like to think that this Shirou isn't as dense as the others.**

 **mx2432: That shot at Cinder was very forced. There was a point where I had decided to completely take that part out, but against my better judgment I left it in just because I thought it would be cool. In regards to deviating from the plot, there are certain canonical events that have to happen or I can just write them off as never happening (but where's the fun in that).**

 **Konami-kun 2000: From what I can tell, Shirou can copy Divine Constructs although not completely unless accompanied by the class card. So, him being able to copy Kurikara and Zangetsu isn't much of a stretch. Oh, and yes, who else could have found themselves on Remnant or better yet one of the other worlds. Only time can tell.**

 **Dark demon619: Unfortunately, it'll be a while before we get to see a final move like Unlimited Blade Works. Right now, I'm going to focus on creating connections between the characters. That isn't to say we'll never see something like that again, but we will definitely have plenty of Maiden shenanigans.**

In a makeshift infirmary, the injured are currently being treated with whatever supplies are available. A prominent patient that aided in the Batlle of Beacon is laying down while a certain heiress tends to him.

"Thank you," replies Shirou. "I appreciate this."

"You don't have to thank me. I'm just doing what I can."

The Schnee heiress, Weiss continues to bandage up a heavily wounded Shirou. As she does, she takes note of his skin. A large portion of his left side is heavily tanned; however, the outer edge of the darkened area appears to be burned on as if it were spreading.

Weiss picks up a clean cloth and washes off any remaining blood. She moves to begin wrapping his arm in a gauze, however, Shirou stops her.

"You don't worry about that. There's nothing that can be done that hasn't already happened."

"Stop trying to act tough. You're not going to get any better by acting that way," retorts Weiss.

She begins to become irritated the longer this goes on.

"This," Shirou motions to his scarred arm, "is something that can't be fixed."

Weiss forcefully grabs hold of Shirou's arm and begins to unravel the bandages. There are several minor cuts running up and down his arm. While none of them are serious, they will prove to be a problem if left unattended. Layer by layer, Weiss applies the gauze.

Shirou releases a tired sigh.

The damage dealt to his body was costly. It would take a few weeks at most for his injuries to completely heal. However, if the situation arose, he wouldn't think twice about stepping in. Still, his throbbing muscles screamed in agony as they were finally given a moment of reprieve.

Weiss glances over at Shirou for a moment.

"What did you have to go through for your body to end up like this?"

Her question was innocent enough. It's true that the wounds that have been inflicted on his body were not normal by any means. While, yes, Shirou could come up with an excuse to dance around the issue, there really wasn't much of a point. Then again, there was just so much to go through to give a proper answer.

"To put it bluntly, I just did what I was capable of."

Shirou closes his eyes as he lays back; lamenting the fact that the scars spread across his body were proof that he wasn't able to see his objective through.

"Well, whatever it was, I hope it was worth it."

* * *

With the Battle of Beacon over, a feeling of fatigue takes hold of those caught up in the conflict. Most prominently, the members of Team RWBY drag their feet across the floor as exhaustion starts to settle in. Despite dawn being on the horizon, the four students search for a place to rest.

The majority of the academy has been decimated due to the Grimm Dragon's attack. Several sections of the buildings are still in mid-collapse. However, there are several areas that have been sectioned off as safe zones. That being said, most of the space is being used to treat the wounded – leaving little to no space for others. Eventually, the group finds themselves in an abandoned classroom.

Without speaking a word to one another, Team RWBY collapses onto the floor. The lights in the classroom are already turned off which only gives off the allure of sleep.

The silence is uncontested as it permeates throughout the room. That is until someone speaks up.

"Hey, guys?" The Schnee heiress breaks the silence that had taken over the room.

"Yeah, Weiss?" The Golden Brawler, Yang joins the conversation.

There is a lull in her response. She hesitates on her answer as she attempts to formulate the proper phrase to describe the events of the past night.

"Today was a rough day."

"Yeah, you can say that again, Ice Queen."

"All that matters are that we got through it," Blake interjects in her calm demeanor. "Things could have ended much worse."

"That's something I'd rather not think about." A chill runs down Weiss' spine as she imagines what could have actually happened. "Let's just be thankful that we managed to kill that dragon."

"That thing was crazy big. But, you know what they say: 'The bigger they are the harder they fall.'"

Yang brings her fist and locks it in her palm as a sign of confidence.

"What do you guys think actually took it down?" Blake contemplates the options available. However, she isn't able to come up with anyone in mind. "I mean it couldn't have been anyone from Beacon; we would've known."

"Does it matter? We won!" Yang exclaims. There's a hint of excitement in her voice. "That thing would've gone down eventually."

"Blake's right. If someone that strong was just hiding, why just show up now at the climax of everything?"

"Maybe they like to make a grand entrance?"

"That doesn't seem right." Weiss goes into a deep thought in order to procure an answer.

"Yeah. Someone with that kind of firepower would have made a name for themselves by now." Blake releases a sigh as a headache starts to form. "But, guys, I think we're missing the big picture here."

"Ah, yes. It still doesn't seem real to me. One second, we're mere moments away from death, and the next we're nowhere near Beacon. A desolate land plagued with blizzards, home to nothing but swords."

"Getting' a big too poetic on me, Weissy."

"Oh, hush! How else would you describe something like that?"

"I'd call it awesome! But… it was really cold."

"You're hopeless." Weiss rubs the bridge of her nose in an attempt to forget her teammate's previous comment.

"Speaking about that land of swords. What do you think caused it?" Blake asks. "It's not something that should be possible."

"I think… it was one of the two that was with Pyrrha. Shirou – I think was his name. One moment, I'm waiting on Ruby at the bottom of the tower and the next they suddenly appear. I don't know how she found either of them, but neither of them seemed normal."

"I know what you mean. The other one that was with them wasn't like any other faunus I've seen. Whatever other part he is, it must be violent by nature; his eyes literally screamed rage."

"Umm guys, can we go back to how sick that 'land of swords' was?" Yang appears a bit too giddy to return to that specified topic. "I mean, it did practically destroy everything in sight."

"How are we supposed to talk about it? We don't even know what exactly _it_ is, and the only person that does is at the opposite end of the school grounds."

"Well let's go find this 'Shirou' and ask him ourselves," suggests Yang.

"Don't you realize how bad of an idea that is? You saw what happened to him afterward. Besides, he's not in any condition to talk."

"What's the worst that can happen? Come on, Blake. You've gotta be on my side about this."

"Weiss is right, Yang. We don't know how he'll react and you saw the state he was in after he did whatever he did. I doubt he'd be comfortable talking about it with complete strangers."

"Look, if he doesn't want to talk about it then that's fine. But, I for one am going to at least ask. Come on, back me up Ruby."

"Ruby?"

"Shirou…"

With what little light is entering the room, Yang is able to notice that her younger sister, Ruby is staring off into the distance. Normally, she would chalk this up to her normally being an airhead if it weren't for her absolute concentration at nothing.

"Hey, Rubes, you alright?"

Trying once again, Yang scoots over to Ruby and snaps her fingers several times to catch her attention.

"W-What?! I-I'm fine!"

The flustered scarlet-reaper panics for a moment until she realizes where she is.

"You sure? You spaced out on us for a second."

"Yeah, I'm _totally_ fine."

"Come on, spill it, Rubes. I know when something's bothering you. Plus, it's not like you to stay this quiet."

"The land of swords…"

"That's right. You normally go crazy over seeing weapons. What changed?"

"Don't get me wrong, I couldn't believe what I saw, and it was amazing to see so many different swords all together, but… it seemed lonely."

"The swords seemed lonely?"

"Yeah…"

"Ruby, I think you're overanalyzing this," Blake comments.

"No! I swear I'm not making this up. Something about that place seemed off, and I can't just figure out why."

"Alright, sis. What made this place feel… lonely?"

"I don't know…. Everything felt wrong. As if somebody abandoned it. It felt like I was at a grave."

"It's probably nothing, Ruby. Remember everything that's happened today."

There's a moment of silence before Ruby's response. She takes a good moment to decide whether or not to pursue this topic anymore.

"Yeah… you're probably right."

"Tomorrow's going to be a hectic day; I can already imagine it," Weiss exclaims.

"Yeah. Let's get some sleep for now.

* * *

"Well, shall we begin?"

The question didn't come as a shock to anyone present. The afternoon had finally arrived after last night's battle.

Glynda Goodwitch, one of the professors at Beacon Academy, eyed each individual in the room. She is a light blonde with her hair tied up in a bun, wearing a white blouse along with a black pencil-skirt. Despite appearing fatigued beyond belief, she retained her usual strict demeanor.

Those present consisted of individuals that were a part of the Battle of Beacon. Of which include Pyrrha, Ruby, Ichigo, Rin, Shana, and Shirou. Although, the discussion at hand will mainly involve the last four named.

"Quite right." Doctor Oobleck steps forwards. "I believe it's only fair that we start off by explaining what happened last night."

Oobleck searches for someone to object. Seeing that no one is opposed to the idea, he pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"As many of you have guessed, the incident last night was no accident. It was a planned attack lead by an individual known as Cinder Fall, who had infiltrated Beacon, along with several members of the White Fang. To the best of our knowledge, we can only assume that their objective was to secure the power of the Fall Maiden while simultaneously destroying Vale."

Ruby lightly pokes Pyrrha on the shoulder and whispers, "What's the 'Fall Maiden'?"

Pyrrha opens her mouth to answer but is cut short when Doctor Oobleck beats her to the punch.

"Excellent question, Ms. Rose. To put it simply, the Fall Maiden is currently detained at a section of the school."

More and more question marks pop over Ruby's head as she tries to make sense of the response.

"That doesn't answer the question," Shana exclaims.

Oobleck signals towards Professor Goodwitch to continue the explanation.

"The Maidens are exceptional individuals that inherit great power. The fullest extent of their abilities is unknown, however, it's clear that their power can be devastating. It was our intention to keep the whereabouts of the previous Fall Maiden a secret, however, that doesn't seem to be the case anymore."

Shana eyes Doctor Oobleck with a calculating gaze.

"Then, what's this 'original plan' you mentioned last night? Something about transferring the Maiden's power to her."

Shana points over to the Invincible Girl. Pyrrha is singled out and all eyes turn to her for a response. She takes a deep breath and matches Shana's gaze.

"Yes. I had agreed to take up the Maiden's powers in order to prevent someone like Cinder from acquiring them. That's all I wanted so that no one would use it to hurt someone else."

"Then, that brings me to my next point." Shana returns her to gaze to Doctor Oobleck. "How do you intend to transfer these powers over to her?"

Doctor Oobleck coughs into his fist before loosening his tie a bit.

"I'm afraid the specifics of the transfer are beyond my understanding as the technology that was used to create it is highly advanced. To give a simplified understanding, there is a machine that has been developed to transfer the soul of one person to another. Because the Maiden's powers attach to the user's soul, it is theorized that it will work in this case as well."

Everyone in the room, aside from the professors, gives out a look of horror at hearing the process of the transfer. The thought of a machine having control over the soul itself is unheard of and like most machines, the ability to mass-produce such technology could be detrimental.

"Do you not understand the ramifications of tampering with such power?" Shana asks, amazed at the negligence of those in front of her.

"I have to agree with her," Shirou interjects. "My knowledge on the matter might be lacking but even I know that something like this shouldn't be messed around with."

Pyrrha stands up from her position – stumbling a bit as her wound has yet to fully heal. She takes her hand and places it across her chest. Her voice slightly rising.

"There isn't any other choice! One day, I don't know when or how someone will attempt to take these powers again and I can't stand knowing the fact that I would be putting someone else in danger if I don't do this."

The room goes silent.

Pyrrha's words take a moment to settle in. The consequences that would be the result of mistreating this situation are indeed grave. Pyrrha slowly slides back into her seat as the discussion comes to a halt. Shirou eyes her with a curious gaze.

"Now then," Professor Goodwitch begins the discussion anew. "I believe it is only fair to hear some answers from you four. Who are you?"

She addresses Ichigo, Rin, Shana, and Shirou directly. Her gaze shifts from one to another in an attempt to discern any hidden motives.

"My name is Shirou Emiya."

The third-rate magus is the first to speak up. Despite his still healing injuries, it was imperative for him to attend this meeting of sorts. If not to get answers then to find an answer as to where to go next.

"I'm a magus that's lived a relatively normal life except for the past few months where I've been imprisoned by a 'Champion of Justice,' then after escaping, I find myself here. I don't know what brought me here nor do I know how to get back. I'm hoping that by telling you this we can come to some form of a solution."

Shirou knows that what little he has said has major implications if those in the Mage's Association caught wind of this interaction. Openly talking about magecraft to those who did not already know about it was a major offense which in most cases often ended up in their death.

"A magus? As in someone who practices magic?" Professor Goodwitch inferred.

"To make a long story short, yes."

"That's-" Professor Goodwitch cuts herself off before finishing that thought. She knows that magic exists, however, that only applied to the Maiden's. That then begs the question, if he's telling the truth, how does he have the ability to pull it off. "This _magic_ , is that what you used to create this 'other world'? Where, according to the students, there was nothing but a desolate land filled with swords."

"Once again, yes. It's something entirely unique to 'me'. This world filled with swords is called a Reality Marble; a distortion that replaces reality with that of my soul. I could go into further depth explaining how it works, but there wouldn't be much of a point."

Satisfied with the initial answer, Professor Goodwitch turns her attention towards Shana with a quizzical look. Shana, in turn, returns the gaze until deciding to speak up.

"I am the Flaming-Haired Blazing-Eyed Hunter, Shana. A Flame Haze that's somehow ended up in this world."

Shana's expression doesn't waver. Her confidence and overall demeanor are very stoic in nature. However, the same can't be said for both Doctor Oobleck and Professor Goodwitch. The two of them are stuck in a state of confusion upon hearing Shana's title and the mention of a different world.

"By what do you mean this _world_?" Doctor Oobleck asks quizzically.

"It's exactly what it sounds like," responds Shana. "This place, the people, are nothing alike to anything from where I'm from."

"And where exactly are you from may I ask?"

The young Flame Haze takes a moment to formulate a response. In all reality, she is unsure of how to respond. After the creation of Xanadu, she and her partner traversed the new world. So, it doesn't come up as much of a surprise to Shana that there were possibly different worlds aside from the one that the Snake of the Festival had made. Despite that, she would still return to one location from time to time; to relive old memories.

"I never stood in once place for too long. There was always a reason to continue moving – not that it bothered me. However, I tended to return to one place; a country called Japan."

The name meant nothing to the professors and much less to the two students present, however, it struck a chord with the other three. Ichigo, Rin, and Shirou were undoubtedly shocked. Shana is slightly unnerved when she notices their change in expression. It's clear to her that the name means something to them.

"There's no record of such a place existing. Not here, not on Remnant." Professor Goodwitch comments. "Is there any proof you can provide?"

"I've already said that this isn't my world! I don't know what Remnant is. There's nothing aside from my word alone to convince you." Shana quickly becomes irritated. She understands what she's saying is ludicrous. If it wasn't for everything she's gone through, the battles fought, even she would be hard pressed to believe herself. However, the point of the matter stands.

The professors remain unfazed at the small outburst. In truth, they would have to consider the possibility of her telling the truth. Though, that doesn't mean they can't attempt to get out as much information as possible before the point of no return.

"You can go ahead and not believe her if you want," Shirou interjects. "However, I think it's only fair of me to point out that I'm from there as well. Though, I think the full story is a lot more complicated than that. I may not be as well versed in the customs and traditions of my world, but I don't think I've ever heard the term 'Flame Haze' before."

"Nor have I ever heard of an individual able to warp reality to such an extent such as yourself!"

Despite Shirou backing up her claim, Shana can't help but continue on the offensive.

"Umm, excuse me." Ruby timidly holds her hand up while cowering away from an impending fight. "What is a Flame Haze exactly?"

Shana takes a moment to take a deep breath and calmly returns to usual cold demeanor. She then turns towards Ruby and begins to explain the basics.

"A Flame Haze is meant to keep balance in the world by hunting down Denizens which consume Power of Existence. It's a system that has worked for centuries, however, it isn't until recently that the situation has become moot.

"So, a magus and a Flame Haze; quite interesting. Is it safe to assume that this is how you were able to single out the Fall Maiden by simply being in her presence?"

"Yes. The power held within her can be detrimental. So much so that it stood out compared to anyone else.

Oobleck keeps a calculating eye on both Shana and Shirou. "Now, then, what about you two?

Suddenly, Ichigo and Rin are put into the limelight. They're both slightly uncomfortable, however, their need for answers outweighs any discomfort.

"My name is Rin Okumura. I'm an Exwire from True Cross Academy. I don't know what I'm doing here. I just randomly showed up here without warning."

"And what does an Exwire do exactly?"

"To give you the gist of it, we fight Demons and protect people the best we can. I'm trying to live up to my old man and follow his footsteps."

Rin declares this with pride. Many in the room have several questions prepared for him, however, they are in a bit of awe at his confidence in the matter. Despite his stature, he takes great effort into announcing himself.

"These Demons, I'm guessing you aren't referring to the Grimm?" Professor Goodwitch infers.

"No… I've never seen anything like the things that attacked us last night; they're similar, but not the same. Not even the dragon. Before I got here, I was fighting this thing called the Impure King. That thing was crazy strong, but it acted more like a disease than anything else."

The Impure King, yet another foreign term that will have to be cleared up later on.

"Now then, according to the various reports collected throughout Vale, you've been seen controlling the Grimm. That in itself is astonishing, nothing like it has been seen before. In fact, it could just be the thing to combat the infestation of Grimm that plagues Remnant." Professor Goodwitch straightens her posture and formally address Rin. "I ask this, not as a Professor, but rather as a person that has seen this nightmare break countless individuals – how is it that you can take possession of the Grimm?"

The tone of the room darkens. There's enough silence to hear a pin drop.

"I-I'm sorry, but the only reason I was able to do what I did is because of what I am.

"And what is that exactly?"

"By birth, I am the son of Satan, the strongest Demon in existence."

The room turns silent once again.

"You-You're a Demon?"

"Well, only partially." Rin lets out a nervous laugh.

"So, let me get this straight," Ichigo speaks up for the first time. "Somehow, us four ended up in this place called Remnant and no one knows why?"

"Yes, that appears to be the case," replies Shana. "So far, it appears that even we don't originate from the same location."

"How's that possible? I can understand moving in between different realms, but this is something completely different."

"We don't know, but it's most likely some outside force or something we're not aware of, yet," Shirou interjects.

"What about you, then? Who are you?"

"The name's Ichigo Kurosaki and I'm a substitute Soul Reaper."

"A Soul Reaper as in a death god? That kind of Soul Reaper?" Asks a surprised Shana.

"More or less. Is now really the time to be talking about this, isn't there a bigger issue of how we ended up here and how to get back?"

The group looks at one another for answers, however, no one speaks up.

"As unbelievable each of your stories sounds, I have to accept it as fact," Oobleck speaks up. "Several individuals from varying realities appearing in the same location is astounding! Truly a spectacle, such an event has never been recorded here on Remnant."

"Oobleck!" Professor Goodwitch snaps at him. "Now is not the time to gawk at one of your whimsical theories."

"Come now, Glynda. Even you must admit that this piques your interest. This isn't something we can just brush aside."

"You're right, this isn't something we can ignore; however, there are more important matters to attend to. If everything they're telling us is the truth, then what do we do from here?"

"I assume that would be obvious. We must procure a method of finding a way back for them while simultaneously figuring out as to why this happened in the first place."

It takes a moment for the group to realize what he had just said. He said the plan so casually that the impact of it took a moment to settle in.

"Tell me then, how we are going to accomplish this?"

"With time. This isn't something that's going to be solved in a night. We have to be patient, now more than ever."

Professor Goodwitch lets out a long sigh. "Fine, but our priority right now is salvaging what's left of the school. Following that, we have to repair the Tower. Word of what happened here is going to spread regardless, however, we can't stay in the dark. The sooner we contact the other Kingdoms the quicker we can get reinforcements."

"What about us?" Shirou asks. "I'm assuming you don't want us to run around looking for answers ourselves?"

"Absolutely not." Professor Goodwitch exclaims. She turns her attention back towards Oobleck. "I'll let you decide how to accommodate for these four. I have to return to Vale and help secure the city. I'll also be taking a few of the upperclassmen to secure the area."

Professor Goodwitch makes her way towards the exit and leaves. After the door slams shut, Doctor Oobleck

"Well, I believe the actions of you four last night have shown your intentions towards this school and its occupants, thus until the matter is resolved, I invite you all to stay here in Beacon for the time being. There are still several matters in which I would like to discuss, but that can wait for another time."

"What are we supposed to do in the meantime?" Asks Rin.

"I ask that you four help in securing Beacon. Familiarize yourselves with the layout of the area surrounding the academy. If an attack were to happen again, we should be ready. However, it would be best to set up temporary living arrangements, for the time being."

"Living arrangements?" To the dismay and horror of the four present, they cautiously ask in unison. "What exactly do you have in mind?"


End file.
